Hi everyone

I found myself saying in a thread earlier today that taking up the clarinet as an adult was one of the best decisions I'd ever made, and it made me wonder what other people would regard as their best (or one of their best) decisions? And why? In my case, it's added such a lot of pleasure to my life, not just playing the clarinet itself, which I love, but also discovering jazz through it, going to jazz concerts and festivals, meeting some lovely people through all sorts of different avenues, and now of course meeting forum friends! The list is endless really as to what taking up the clarinet has led to.

Has anyone else made a decision in their life that they've been really glad they made, and if so, do tell us what and why!

Mine was also taking up clarinet- through playing I have met so many amazing people that I would never have met otherwise.... (and my best friend's boyfriend!)

Pursuing with the piano - I would've never got this far if someone hadn't given me their old piano...

Hmm...probably deciding that I wanted to become a music teacher. It gave me something to live for and work towards and got me dragged into the music world big style! During the four years I have spent in 'the music world' I have met so many amazing people and had so many amazing experiences and memories which I will never forget.
Second one is deciding to live with no regrets - took a while to get used to but life is much better now I've stopped beating myself up over every little thing I said wrong or did wrong and missed opportunities and all the rest of it!

the "no regrets" thing is an excellent idea.

My best decision was to invite a nice fellow out to see a movie. Without that decision, I'd not be making the music I now am, nor have the family I have...

Marrying my wife and having a son.

Awww

Marrying my wonderful hubby (24/12/1980) so 26 years on Christmas Eve

Persuading my dad to let me join a brass band! (which now takes up pretty much ALL my spare time!)

Deciding to learn to sing!

buying a 1967 Alfa spider for next to nothing and restoring it myself well... with a little help maybe!! it is now worth 5 times what i paid but i'll never get rid of it!!

oh and persueding my parents aged 7 to let me play clarinet!

The best decision I have made is the same as Amber's I am so happy I have taken up singing, I have an amazing teacher (the best in my opinion ) and I hope now to pursue a career in singing! Lets all hope all goes well

To take up cello at the ripe old age of 32. Fantastic.

Welcome back, Chaos

Um... probably to move to my current church, leading to life generally being a lot better, reintroduction of music into my life, ending up living in a home I love with good friends nearby, loads of good things and a much happier me in so many ways... changed my life in lots of big and small but good ways

So many......

Marrying Misterjay was a pretty good one.

Starting singing lessons was also a pretty good one.

Giving up accountancy to concentrate on music hasn't been bad either.

Deciding to do A-level music despite being three grades below the recommended standard and having no theory is one decision I have always been very happy about. Also, giving up on an accountancy apprenticeship to be a part-time will-writer and full-time bible student, helping people to really improve their lives by means of the bible and gain a real hope for the future.

Stumbling across a certain music discussion website and deciding to subscribe and take part was an OK decision as well....

Either, deciding to have an extra cup of coffee with a friend one day, and catch a later coach than the one I'd planned. The first coach crashed and sadly most people on it were killed.

Or, more cheerfully, marrying my husband.

To take up cello at the ripe old age of 61 .... and restarting piano a few years before that ... and deciding to teach piano. I've made so many friends in the world of music. There are other decisions too which have shaped my life, and like Crazy Cow, I have no time for regrets. Life's too short and what's done is done.

Meeting the people I have, otherwise I'd still be a hermit with little social ability

hearing my neighbour play piano... or else i wouldnt have told my parents to let me learn piano...

ShArOn

Deciding to take music as a career.It's not accomplished yet , but arrangements are being made at th moment.

Going along with my headteacher's suggestion that I went on a Kodály course being run locally (after she took pity on me seeing me struggling to know how to teach music, not having had any training myself...).

The rest, as they say, is history!

Taking the decision to make music teaching my career. This decision has had a knock-on effect on every aspect of my life - health has improved dramatically, I'm much happier in myself and my relationships. Although I'm probably working longer hours I now get more done and seem to have loads of time for partner, family and friends. I feel that life is worth living again!

Deciding to go back into having music lessons and doing my grade 8!
It felt great !!!!!!

Going to a "trumpet day in bath" - got into a really good brass band, and it probably led to me getting into Wells - strange how one thing can change so much of your life!

Joined Spirit of Harmony...

Agreed to ride a unicycle.

One of them, anyhoo.

Not to give up.

I married Mr Ocean

why?

because he's the kindest and most decent and honest person I've ever met and no one who's met him for even a few minutes would disagree.

I'm only 12 but the best decision was taking up trumpet playing when mum wanted me to have a clarinet. I had the best ever trumpet teacher at primary school. That's all I went there for to be perfectly honest, but thanks to him I got into the Borough music centres and then got a music place for high school when they only had 24 places available. This high school is 5 minuttes away by bus but i wouldn't have got in without my music. Now i'm in the concert band and I've just come back from lake Garda with the tour. Not only that if I hadn't taken up music and got into the high school with it, I wouldn't have been able to do so well at sport getting into the school cross country, football and athletics and running the Kids London Marathon this year. One thing has definitely led to another, but it all started with primary school brass teacher and I will never forget that.

Mine is probably when I decided to go to the school I go to now I nearly went to the other school in the area, and then I wouldn't have met the teachers hat really inspired me to do music

Joining the army was my best decision to date. Then leaving was one of the worst things that happened - argh ###### heart!!

still looking/waiting for the best decision... I think it is still to come
will it be soon?

Taking up the 3 instruments I play..

.

I know it's not a decision, but the first 2(piano and violin) was because my brother played them, not because I liked them for a reason.

The oboe was because I loved the sound, and because lots of people played the flute/clarinet.

Now, I love them all because of the sound and repertoire each one has, and that I've met many nice people through playing them.




Oh, wait, I've got a better one!

The best decision in my life is to turn around in my bed while sleeping, (so my feet were on the pillow), so a piece of plastic falling didn't cut me as badly as it would've done...


this is when I was 1 year old, so I don't remember, but it apparently happend...

Several good decisions so far; One was not getting married to the three, no, four who asked me over the years. (One was drunk so I don't think that he should be included in the total!) I would have made a bad mother, constantly asking too much of my own children. And I would not have met Dafydd of course.
Another was to give up playing the cello and I really wish that I had done that earlier. It was a main study at music college and it really was a struggle and not my instrument.
One of my worst decisions was not telling a realy foul and nasty school teacher just how dreadful she had made my days at cshool. I used to see her from time to time and always crossed the road to avoid her. She probably told herself that I was shy! I wish that I had told her just what I thought of her.

My best decision was giving up everything to become a painter... no question.

There are loads of secondary contendors for the title; marrying Mr.A, acquiring all seven of my dogs, taking up the violin at the age of 38, moving to the countryside, listening to Drs about my illness, staying close to my parents despite everything, keeping in touch with my brother, brushing my teeth regularly.. and more best decisions - not to read the news more than once a day, and to wake up every morning with a smile.

My worst decision to date was hanging my duvet set outside to dry this morning.. it's just started raining and really heavily too

Turning up to the boathouse for a "learn to row" session in my first week at university. I spent quite a lot of time rowing after that, made friends, met my husband and won and lost a lot of races.

Learning German in school was another one of those decisions which seemed trivial at the time bt turned out to be quite important.

I'd forgotten I'd started this thread - and it's been resurrected at a very appropriate time because last week I realised that I'd strayed away from what was really important to me musically, which is my clarinet. The other day I made another "best decision" which was to re-focus on my clarinet instead of getting distracted by all sorts of other things which I might like to do, but which I've now realised I haven't got either sufficient motivation or time to fit in, not at present anyway. So now it's back to just me and my clarinet, and we're both very happy together

those are two absolutely crucial ideas!
motivation can desert you, it can be taken away by the 'slings and arrows of outrageous fortune' and, while lots of 'do-gooders' tell you you CAN do it, you know in yourself that you can't (at least not at that time)
and time! another deep subject... it's how you organise your time, or maybe it's how others' demands organise your time for you

I hope I am coming towards decisions that may become the best.... don't know yet

MY best were marrying my hubby, and having 2 beautiful daughters after a long and anxious wait.
More recently, I have decided that I CAN do my grade 6 and will pass it. You have to be mentally ready for these exams as well as physically ready. So now the long job of learning the music for them.
Bev.

My best decision was to take up the violin. I'm so happy that it wasn't as disastrous as I thought, proved my mom wrong that it's so tough I'll give up halfway just like her friend's son did, and did something for myself instead of for people all the time. It's also a result of this decision one of my best friends has a boyfriend. And of course the wonderful friends I met in this forum as a result.

Hmm...I can think of more bad decisions , but here goes.

I think, closest to my heart at the moment is the decision I made to accept the invitation from my Uncle to go and stay with him for a while. When he invited me, back in February, I was really scared about staying away from home, and was terribly homesick even if I only stayed with my Nan for the night. Somehow, I forced myself to get on the plane almost 3 weeks ago, and I have never had such a rewarding experience in all my (16 humble years of) life. In connection to that, my decision to volunteer for Pepper has had a huge impact on my whole attitude towards life, and I think it has generally made me a 'better' person. Knowing that you are helping to make a difference to an ill person's quality of life makes you see things in a completely different perspective - even my posts on here have changed, I feel.

On another note, asking to play the violin wasn't a bad decision, and neither was finally plucking up the courage to audition for some orchestras. Ok, so perhaps the positives do weight out the negatives, now that I think about it!

Deciding to go on my recent trip to Germany and Poland was such a good decision... I had an amazing time and such fun and feel I am closer to my friends that went as a result. Also, deciding to see some of the things I did on that trip. Learning about the Berlin Wall and the courage of the people who tried to cross it and visiting Aushwitz was hard, but I think it has really benifited me.

Also accepting that the guy I liked really doesn't like me as more than a friend and realising that I was so much better off having him as a friend has made me so much happier... For a year I was always thinking about him and trying to convince myself that he liked me, but now we are good friends and I think will always be just that

hmmm listening to to a friend who told me to go to a party that i didnt want to go to. her words were go on you might meet the man of your dreams and i did!! now 6 six years we have been married nearly two years .

number two was taking up flute i have met new friends, joined this forum and as of the start of next year will be playing in a band along with bongos, guitar(hubby) percussion and voices

also getting drunk and having the nerve to ask someone in a band ( mr bongos) the pub to teach me percussion which has lead to me joining his band on flute.

Deciding that it's not worth dwelling on my bad decisions and focusing on my good ones. Like playing the instruments I do, doing the activities I do, trying to smile as much as possible, making the most of what I have, and most importantly, jumping at opportunities, even if it means that I don't have enough time free...

how very positive and sensible of you !!

The best thing I've ever done was start off playing the saxophone. My parent's took a huge gamble buying a brand new Yamaha for me at the tiny age of 7! It's my pride and joy to this day! Without the sax, I dont know where I would be today to be honest. Something that started out as a hobby, is now becoming my career. I think going to Uni has to be the next best thing along-side that. It has focused me well, and I actually have a career path which I can really focus on.

This may seem odd. When I was 16 and just done ALCM and about to take Grade 8 Organ, I decided that I would not do music as a career ! Rather it was to remain a good hobby. The fun and enjoymemt I have had from music in my 60 years is immense, and contributing to this is that I wasnt actually reliant on it as a career. No pressure to practise things like scales or learn things to perfection. My daughter made a similar decison also (at about the same age) , and has found the same thing!
I honestly dont think I would have had the patience and dedication to make it in a performing sense, so probably would have ended up as a teacher - again not something I would have had a leaning for.
So I am happy with the decision I made at that time.

One of my good decisions was at a low point in my life, all was grey, the present hard, the future bleak, but I did decide to go to a concert on my birthday. It was Cappella Nova singing their Easter Tenebrae concert - see here It was an amazing transforming experience, literally took me out of myself and changed my life. I joined the choir advertised on the programme, eventually started singing lessons and then went back to piano, made whole bunch of new friends through music - now the present is fun, absorbing and full. And last but not least, I discovered the whole new world of this forum!

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