Give a kid an instrument and he has entertainment for a day

Teach a kid to play the instrument and he has to go buy:

Mouth pieces, ligatures,

neck straps, reeds, valve oil, slide grease,

snakes, new slides, polish, sheet music, private

lessons, an occasional touch-up, cases, name tags, tuners,

metronomes, new keys, new valves, drum sticks, a drum pad,

mallets, music folders, drum heads, a drum set, sometimes new instruments, mouthpiece cleaners, headphones, a song recorder, notation software,

marching band shoes, shakos, room and board for that special drum corps, DCI tickets,

Mutes, plungers, spit valve covers, valve pads, knee splints, ankle braces, polish rags, Money he owes from the band field trip,

Band camp pension, the occasional cast for a broken leg

100 person birthday parties, a camera for those priceless moments,

and a new deck of cards after every single competition.