When I was in the fifth grade I was given an ultimatum: join the choir or join the band. As a shy and sometime awkward child, singing in front of a large group of people was out of the question. Not knowing what instrument to pick, I decided on the only one that I knew: the trumpet.
My parents were able to find me an affordable student trumpet and even paid for private lessons.

I never developed a passion for playing. The only songs that I found bearable were classic rock staples from a couple of specialty music books. After three years of struggling to develop my musical skills, I gave up any sort of musical endeavor.