Book review: "Musical Chairs"

When I first received James Mitchell's "Musical Chairs: A 76-Year-Old's Quest to Learn Every Instrument in the Orchestra," I honestly wasn't sure how well I would like it. I'm no musician, so I don't have that in common with the author, and I would have never imagined that the musical journey of learning 11 instruments would be a story that I'd find so engaging.

Full disclosure, I had to look up how many individual instruments are in an orchestra, and the internet said "at least 15." So, for Mitchell to decide to take on 11 is impressive in and of itself. What's also notable is that, with the exception of percussion, he sought to learn instruments from the major families: strings, woodwinds and brass. Oh, and the fact that he's picking up these skills later in life is also a remarkable point.

There are two things that I enjoyed most about this book: Mitchell's voice and the organization of the book. There are 11 chapters, plus three bonus sections (called "warm-up" and "interludes"), and the afterword. While the structure itself might seem pedestrian, I think it actually really lent to the overall enjoyability of the book. We as readers get to really engage, second-hand, in Mitchell's experience (or lack thereof) with each instrument as he spends a whole chapter describing his lessons.

I also liked that with the interludes, they almost served as part-aside, part-reflection, further fleshing out Mitchell as a person. For example, the first interlude describes his almost-experience being in a real orchestra only part way through his "experiment," as he calls it.

But the real charm of "Musical Chairs" lies in his storytelling. While he could have very easily written about his experience in a very linear way-"the clarinet was surprisingly easy, perhaps because I once played as a child, after so many days, I mastered Mozart's 'Clarinet Concerto'"-he instead interjects personality into each chapter.

When describing his time with the clarinet, for instance, Mitchell starts the chapter by reflecting on the overly gendered experience of pre-adolescence. In his school, boys played the clarinet while girls played the flute; little did he know, decades later, this aided him in this musical endeavor, so much so that he skipped formal lessons altogether.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mini-memoir, far more than I expected. It's also fairly short, which I think helps, seeing as upon first glance, an almost-octogenarian learning to play various instruments isn't exactly the most riveting topic. Each chapter is just detailed enough that it is engaging and fulfilling, while short enough that readers don't get bored with the minutiae of music lessons.

So, if you're looking for a fun, unexpected read, I definitely recommend it. Thank you to Inkberry Books for sharing. Happy reading!