I was a band kid in school, so I do have a lot of mileage there, but I played horns and learned guitar on the side.

The thing with music directing is you need to be proficient in piano. I’m not a pianist, but when my friend invited me to shadow him at a show just a year and a half ago, I told him “I can read a keyboard but I don’t really play piano”. He said “neither did I”.

It’s amazing how fast you can learn an instrument when you are paid to do so. I can now play most any jazz standard and through teaching small children the basics, I’m able to sorta sight read melodies.