Rebuilding Rob

There are two skills I would like to learn. Here they are, in order.

Learn new languages

I would like to learn another language. Better yet, I would like to learn several new languages. I’ve always been fascinated by communication . – be it written or speaking. I think that’s what I’ve always like English classes and chose to make a career out of it. I studied French and spend two weeks there as a sophomore in high school. After taking a break from it once I started college, I decided to give it another try. I did okay with it. My high school classes were enough to earn me some college credit; but my French was rusty. I managed two college level classes before I hit the proverbial wall with it. The verbal portion just got too fast for me and I could no longer keep up.

The neat thing about learning French, or any of the other Romance languages, is that the rules, word origin and sentence structure are very similar. Even today, I can read Spanish and generally get the main idea of what a sentence is saying – and that’s without even taking a single Spanish lesson!

Learning a second language also makes you think about your native language in a way that you probably never have before. Even as a grammar geek, I don’t generally sit around and think about things like direct objects or the object of the preposition in everyday conversation. I don’t really need to know what they I’m English. I speak the language!

But when you learn a new language you have to have an understanding of the different parts of speech. I always tell my high school classes “You will learn more about English grammar when you study an new language than you will in any ELA class you ever take. Even mine.” As I say that, there’s usually a handful of students nodding in agreement. They’re also the ones who are studying a second language.

I’ve just always wanted to know how to communicate in multiple languages.

Play an instrument

I’ve never been musically inclined, but I’ve always wanted to take up a musical instrument. About 10 years ago, I got a bass guitar for my birthday. I played for a while, learned a few songs and I have always wanted to get back into it. Music has always been a big part of my life

I think it’s amazing when people are able to combine lyrics with guitars and drums, or other instruments to make this remarkable human construct we call music. It requires an enormous amount of creativity and skill. I’ve always admired musically-inclined people. I wish I had that level of discipline and dedication that they have.

Learning new instruments, I’m told, is a lot like learning new languages. Most musicians have told me that once you learn how to okay an instrument, it’s much easier to learn how to play another one. I suppose that’s because music notes, like parts of speech, are universal. Once one knows the notes, it’s only a matter of figuring out how to make those sounds on a new instrument. Legend has it that Prince was able to play 34 instruments; essentially everything except horns. Hey, even Superman has Kryptonite, right?

What is a skill (or two) that you would like to learn?

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. All of your views, likes and follows are greatly appreciated! Be sure to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts below…

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The article “Skills like Bryan Mills” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob