Playing Anyway

I was taking a walk in my neighborhood when I heard the sound of a clarinet being played very, very badly, all squeaks and no melody. It took me a little while to locate the sound, but finally I came around a curve in the street and looked down into the backyard of a house. I had found the source.

The yard was surrounded by chain link fence. Inside the fence, a very small person, a young boy, not much taller than his clarinet, was standing. He was looking through the fence, up the driveway toward me. His clarinet was in his mouth and he was struggling through some very badly executed scales. It sounded terrible. But at the same time, it seemed like one of the most wonderful things I had ever heard.

I guess I'd explain it like this: you may not have a stage to stand on, in fact, you may be locked in your own backyard, unable to escape. You may be just a beginner. You could well be very, very bad right now. Or maybe you're doing okay, but the situation is making you feel useless, claustrophobic.

Whatever the situation, here is my advice: keep playing. You never know who's going to hear it. You never know what's going to come of it. You just keep playing.