As someone with training and experience in music and programming, it is interesting to consider the correlation between both pursuits. Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing my thoughts.
When starting any new activity, a mix of passion and patience is beneficial for lasting success. For most people, starting a new activity is exciting! Experienced musicians often perform with what seems to be effortless enjoyment. Experienced musicians also know what actual effort and time is involved in appearing so “effortless”. As a music teacher, I hope to take the initial excitement that arrives with a new music student and imbue that energy with patience, determination, and hope. As they realize the “scale” of learning their scales (pardon my pun), they are also encouraged to understand the joy of discovery and appreciation for what they have accomplished.
Like music, programming can seem overtly daunting if the focus is the magnitude of syntax and breadth of concepts that encompass efficient software design. Most everyone in modern society is familiar enough with the end products of both music and programming: favorite songs, favorite games, favorite songs from a favorite game, phone apps, web browsers, text entry programs, tax programs, etc…. Society at large enjoys these products even if they are mystified by their inner workings.
When a new brass student starts, we begin with how to “buzz” and make a sound through whatever shape metal tubing they have chosen as their instrument. Computer Science often starts with a simple “Hello world!\n” in the chosen programming language. The same emotion is elicited from both: “Wow! I didn’t know I could do this!”