What Youth Orchestra Taught Me About Writing

The writer dream is a special one. Timelines and paths may vary from writer to writer, but the basic dream is this: 1) You pour your heart and soul into writing a novel. 2) Your novel gets published. 3) Your novel impacts people. 

Maybe your book makes it on the bestseller list. Or perhaps it reaches the hands of millions of young readers, and you find yourself speaking at events and autographing copies. Or, the peak of the writing dream, your book becomes a beloved classic, read by generations. 

But what if this doesn’t happen? 

Life happens. Plans change. Dreams and aspirations get adjusted. I’m not saying it’s impossible for you to publish your book, but because life is anything but predictable, there’s a possibility your book might not become a beloved classic, or even be published at all. And if that’s the case – if writing might not be your main career – what’s the point of pouring so much energy and time into writing? 

Recently, I faced this dilemma. I realized that, while writing is still important to me, it’s probably not my “dream career.” After that realization, I asked myself, “What is the purpose of my writing if it doesn’t get published? Why should I try to craft strong characters and engaging plots if it will only be read by me?” 

But before I answer that, let me tell you about an orchestra. 

Lessons Learned in an Orchestra 

When I’m not writing, I spend my time pursuing a lot of other hobbies… one of which is music. I recently started my second year of playing violin in a local youth orchestra. I learned many lessons about bowing technique and following a conductor, but recently I also learned a lesson that can be applied to my writing dilemma: 

Just because you play a smaller part does not make that part any less important. 

Allow me to give you some context. 

One of my goals this year when auditions for youth orchestra rolled around was to play in the first violin section. The year before, I’d played in the second violins, but I’d grown my skills and wanted to challenge myself with harder music. 

(A small note for the non-music nerds: The violin section of an orchestra is usually divided into “first” and “second” parts. The firsts usually play the melody, and usually have harder music. The seconds support the firsts with the harmony, and usually have easier music.) 

To my disappointment, though, I was put into the second violins. As we looked at the music we were playing, I was even more let down because the first violins got to play a beautiful melody while us seconds played a quiet, barely heard, and boring (I mean playing-the-same-note-for-a-whole-page type boring) accompaniment. 

Our part was so quiet and “unimportant” that I felt purposeless in the orchestra. What use was playing if we could barely be heard? Why work hard to perfect the notes if they were simple and easy? 

Then, as it usually happens in life, I was proven wrong. 

Meaning In the Small Parts 

During a rehearsal with just the second violin section, our teacher stressed how important our part was. Yes, we played quiet, repetitive notes, but they had a purpose. The second violins’ harmony helped support the first violins, who were playing much harder music. Just because our part was quieter and not as prominent didn’t mean it was unimportant. 

Gradually, I changed my mindset. I no longer felt meaningless in the orchestra. Instead, my small part, combined with many other parts, contributed to one glorious and beautiful piece of music. 

Small Parts Make An Impact 

Now, you’re probably asking, Okay, but how does this apply to writing? 

You can still impact people with your words, no matter if you publish a book or not. 

A handwritten thank you card can warm the heart of a neighbor. Someone might be honored to receive a short story written just for them. Even something as small as typing out a well-written text can make someone’s day better. 

Shorter form writing, like blog posts, short stories, poetry, etc. can impact readers even though it’s not officially published. I read articles every day for anything from school research to proper cooking techniques, to character development, to craft ideas. There’s a writer behind those “how to” articles we read, and they help many people’s lives. 

You don’t have to publish a book to make an impact on readers’ lives. 

Mastering The Tiny Details 

As I came to this realization that even my unpublished writing could make a difference, I was faced with another question: 

If my writing might not be published, then what’s the purpose of spending all this time editing and learning about the writing craft and practicing?

And so, friends, we shall turn back to the lessons one can discover in an orchestra. 

As I mentioned above, a good chunk of the second violins’ part included repetitive notes, played as quietly as possible, over and over for pages. The music wasn’t particularly challenging. There were no hard fingerings or crazy bowings – it was all very simple. Within a week or two, I’d learned the music and thought it was “mastered.” 

Any musician here knows that a piece is never “mastered.” There’s always something to tweak or change. 

In fact, there were so many small details to adjust that us second violins spent an entire hour going over just a few bars of music. Gradually, I learned that even though the music was simple, there were plenty of details to iron out. Those small details would really make the piece shine. 

That’s what I love about playing music – you can spend weeks playing the same song, and each time you play it, there’s something to adjust. The devil is in the details, and that’s no different for writing. 

Crafting Words With Care, No Matter Their Destination 

Just because you’re writing something that won’t be published doesn’t mean you should do only a “good enough” job. 

Words can be extremely powerful, especially in today’s day and age with the internet. We write blog posts. We read articles. We send and receive emails. We text other people. The world runs on words. 

Focusing on producing quality rather than mediocrity is good character building for all of life. (and I mean character building for you – not fictional people.) My pursuit of quality in writing and music has spread to my job, interactions with friends, chores, and much more. It’s good practice to produce something as good as you can make it for the sake of creating a well crafted story. 

We also don’t know what lies ahead. There are plenty of authors who published their first novel when they were old and wrinkly. You don’t have to give up your writing dream just because it’s not the season to publish a book right now. But, if you keep practicing and improving your writing skills, you will be more than ready for the opportunities to come. 

Us writers have a gift, and we should steward that gift – no matter where it goes – with care and love. 

* * * 

… and that concludes my adventures in youth orchestra and writing. I hope this post helped encourage you, no matter what part of the writing journey you are in. (And many thanks to the wonderful girls in my critique group – Alex, Kirsten, Karli, and Sara – for helping me make this article more than a scattered mess of black lines on paper.)

Thank you for reading and have a great rest of your day! 

-Hannah