Music is all around us.
For decades, children all around the world have been exposed to music, whether it is in a school program, at home or through various other outlets.
At Ida B. Wells High School, there has been a rise in enrollment in music classes, making the music department larger than ever.
Since the pandemic, the number of students playing music has gone up. Nick Caldwell, the band director at IBW, says, “After 2020, with everyone stuck at home, people realized getting your hands on something physical and being in a group event was something they needed, [especially after] being in front of screens all the time.”
When COVID-19 put the whole world on lockdown, many children and adults alike had the time and desire to play instruments. “A report from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra found that almost 40% of children have been learning an instrument at home (during lockdown),” says musicGuard.
Music is a huge platform for kids and teenagers to connect with others. “Music is humanity’s universal language, which can help people connect, communicate, express, learn and grow,” according to Humanium.
Caldwell says his beginning guitar class has the largest enrollment numbers this year than in any previous year it has been offered.
“My favorite thing about music is the amount of different kinds of music,” says Ashu Goodrich, a sophomore at IBW and a tuba player in the IBW band. Goodrich also plays the piano, drums, bass, guitar and trombone. “I have found world or ‘foreign’ music fascinating [for] most of my life, and this opened up so many opportunities for me at the school, with others that like the same music as I do.”
Caldwell also acknowledges that instruments and music can be a frustrating experience for many, and it can be hard to stick with. “[The] first thing I played was a clarinet. My parents encouraged me to play music, [and as I] grew up in a musical household, it made sense to play something,” says Caldwell. “Don’t get discouraged too easily [when playing instruments], playing an instrument is hard, [but] it’s worth it at the end of it. It’s a journey.”
While more and more people are in band programs at IBW currently, students are still welcome to join if they want to learn to play. “It’s easy to get okay at something; it’s not easy to get really good at something. But it’s not impossible either,” says Caldwell.
