Book Review: I Wish I Didn’t Quit by Nathan Holder

We can all recall a time in our childhood when we had a dedicated hobby, whether it be a sport, dancing, an instrument, etc. Unfortunately, most of us can also recall giving up that hobby for one reason or another. If you are anything like me, you regret that decision. While I wouldn’t want to force my children to do anything they didn’t want to do, I would hope that they would never have the same regret. This book provided me with some tips to prevent that.

Blurb

I Wish I Didn’t Quit by Nathan Holder focuses on musical instruments and the many children out there who get bored or frustrated with learning and quit. It helps parents understand what role they play in their child’s journey and provides tips on how helping their child to continue playing. It also provides various tips and anecdotes from industry professionals and top musicians.

Review

Ok, so my opening paragraph mentioning hobbies, in general, was a bit misleading. This book is especially about musical instruments. However, I think the tips about confidence and the benefits of learning skills can be applied to almost anything, never mind various hobbies.

The realness of this book is what makes it special. It can be hard to take in a book that continually sprouts jewels like “you must do this” and “you mustn’t do that”. The various quotes included in the book make it much more relatable, as well as Nathan’s own story. We also have the character of Olivia who, while not an actual real-life person, has a story that helps readers understand the human element of the journey a child takes when learning an instrument.

There are specific chapters broken up into areas like creating a musical environment and learn to manage expectations that are gold for any parent. Plus the fact that I Wish I Didn’t Quit is a relatively easy book to read, there really is no excuse not to pick up a copy.

I don’t find myself in a position yet where I have a child learning an instrument but when I do, you can be sure I will pick up I Wish I Didn’t Quit again.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.