Skills are like muscles – both operate on a “use it or lose it” principle. A muscle that is not been used will eventually deteriorate and atrophy, as happens with elderly people and bedridden patients. To maintain a particular muscle’s functionality, it must be exercised regularly. In order to grow it and increase its strength, it must be put under increasing challenge. Any skill we possess also works in this manner. Things that we used to be able to do proficiently but have since stopped practicing can undergo “skill atrophy” – a phenomenon that plagues many workers after a long period of unemployment – where we find ourselves struggling to do things that once came naturally.

Although much of what has been written about “skill atrophy” pertains specifically to professional skills, I have found that I have lost a skill I used to get a lot of enjoyment from: musicianship. About a decade ago when I was in high-school I played flute and trumpet in the school bands, and I took piano lessons as well. While I have occasionally tried to noodle with some of my instruments in recent years, I have essentially ignored them since graduation and now find myself unable to play any of them. Playing my instruments used to be something that brought me joy, and my goal is to use this Free Inquiry Project to be able to experience this again. I have oftentimes thought about trying to re-teach myself these skills but have frankly never gotten around to doing it, so I am excited that this project will provide me with some accountability to actually push me forward.

At this point, I am still not sure in what direction I want my inquiry to go. I would like to start by exploring my flute and piano again (the trumpet is a bit too intimidating), and possibly narrow my focus to just one of the two as I progress with this project. That being said, I do want to leave things open enough that I can take this project where my interests lead me.

My primary goal for this project is to feel as though I have enough skill in piano and/or flute to be able to play for pleasure by the end of the term. I believe that the most important factor in being able to achieve this is to build regular practice into my weekly routine. To start, I will aim to practice either instrument a total of three times per week for any amount of time per session. I plan to mould and adapt this into a more specific plan (possible more days, or minute requirements) as I see how practice best fits into my schedule.

While my main purpose for doing this is my own enjoyment and to build a routine of practice, rather than focus on a particular outcome, I do hope that by the end of this project I will be able to record at least one song to upload to this blog performed at a level that I am proud of, on either instrument. I do not yet know what a reasonable difficulty target is at this point, so my next steps are to figure out my current skill level in both instruments and to generally refamiliarize myself with them. I currently possess one beginner level flute book and several piano books that I will use to determine what my next best steps are. Several months ago, I also bought piano sheet music for a song that I really wanted to learn how to play which I did start learning, so I may choose to go back to that. I have also found a helpful YouTuber – The Flute Channel – which I also think will be a useful resource.

In the same way that an atrophied muscle can regain strength if exercised again, skills can be re-learned if fostered appropriately. I am looking forward to using this inquiry project to gain strength in my musicianship again.