Let Them Pick
Written by All Classical Radio’s 2024 Young Artist in Residence, Elaina Stuppler.
As a young child, I had two instrument options in my home: An electric piano and my great-grandmother’s violin. I opted to play both because they were accessible. However, during a third-grade assembly, I witnessed a mesmerizing jazz band performance and instantaneously fell in love with the trombone. It was the only shiny, gold instrument that could slide up and down. After begging my parents for a year, they finally caved in and bought me a red plastic trombone for my ninth birthday as I was too small to lift a metal one. Even though I couldn’t reach all the slide positions, and it was taller than me, I was smitten.
Today, at sixteen years old, my trombone is the instrument I practice daily and cherish the most. I participate in my school’s jazz band, wind ensemble, pep band, and am co-principal trombonist of the Portland Youth Philharmonic. It was fascinating to me that the instrument I put the most time, energy, and affection into, I chose myself.
As the 2024 Young Artist in Residence at All Classical Radio Station, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to hear my compositions performed live as a young composer. Attending Oregon Symphony concerts and other performances around Portland sparked my curiosity to see if there was a correlation between how professional musicians chose their instruments and their long-term dedication and success.
To find answers, I wrote a survey for symphony members asking them their affiliated orchestra, instrument, and my final burning question: How was your instrument chosen? I had an answer box for “I selected my instrument”, “My parent/guardian selected my instrument for me”, “The instrument I play was already in my home,” and “other.”
When I created this questionnaire, I didn’t know what to expect, or if it would be daunting to contact major orchestras. As I emailed prestigious symphonies across the country, I was overjoyed when the directors and personnel managers were excited and encouraging about my study. It was thrilling to check the Google form and see the number of responses growing exponentially.
Almost 75% of the musicians who responded said they picked their instrument! I found this high number shocking, but not really. So many students are forced into playing instruments they don’t enjoy. Every week, I watched children drop out of my elementary school string orchestra like flies. You could see which kids looked forward to class and which ones were miserable, wincing through one squeak at a time. I have also observed my peers’ silent protest in sports activities, but that’s another story.
The data I collected supports a direct correlation between encouraging a child to pick their instrument and future musical success and career longevity. So, parents, please let your kid pick their instrument — you might be delighted to see them perform one day in a symphony!
About Elaina
Elaina Stuppler is an accomplished composer, vocalist, and trombonist. Named All Classical Radio’s 2024 Young Artist in Residence and the former Youth Roving Reporter for ICAN Radio, Elaina has left an indelible mark in classical music spaces and radio.
Additionally, Elaina has played trombone at the Sydney Opera House and sang at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Furthermore, Elaina’s work has been commissioned by the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York, the Portland Youth Philharmonic, and the Metropolitan Youth Symphony to name a few.
Currently, Elaina is the Co-Principal Trombonist for Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP). She was also selected for All-State and All-Northwest Honor Bands for Jazz and Wind Ensemble. Elaina has also written great pieces on artists such as Black Violin and Weird Al Yankovic. Elaina also interviewed Dame Julie Andrews, and Emma Walton Hamilton for ICAN Radio’s Audio Book Tour.
