By Laurie Niles: What inspired you to start playing the violin - or other instrument?
A few things inspired me - first, we didn't actually have a piano. If we had, I'm pretty sure I'd have been all over that thing, and I may never have noticed the violin!
But when my elementary school music teacher, Mrs. Walker, came around recruiting, I was a rather musically-hungry fourth-grader. She came to our little classroom and brought along a little girl my age named Sara, who played something on her violin, a tune she called the "Irish Jig." As I sat on the floor listening and watching, my eyes popped wide open and I felt something that I can describe only as "recognition." I HAVE to play that instrument!
![rainbow violin revelation]()
I came home and announced this to my mother, and I think it was clear that letting me have my way on this one would be the path of least resistance.
So my answer to this vote would be that I was inspired by another student, as well as my school program.
I have spoken to many, many people about how they got started on the violin, and very often they started because a family member also played - a parent, or very often, an older sibling. And in a related way, some people start because of the encouragement of a parent, whether that parent plays or not.
Several people, including Melissa White, have told me that they were inspired by seeing a famous violinist on ...Sesame Street! White saw Itzhak Perlman, but many artists have shared their talents on that show, including Joshua Bell, Nadja Salerno Sonnenberg, Yo-Yo Ma, Israeli hip-hop violinist Miri Ben-Ari, and probably quite a few others!
The sound of the violin - recordings played by parents or discovered in a search for good music - can also lead to playing the instrument. Or, a trip to a children's concert at the local symphony can inspire one to want to play.
What inspired you to start playing? Was it a performance by someone? The desire to be part of a program? The desire to play music? A fascination with the instrument itself? Please participate in the vote and then tell us all about it in the comments.
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