4. John Quincy Adams took up the flute while studying at Harvard, and continued to play even when President.
To say that John Quincy Adams was a skilled flautist would be a huge exaggeration – and profoundly untrue. Even the President admitted that he was merely an enthusiastic amateur. Indeed, according to the man himself, Americans were “not susceptible of great musical powers”. However, what he lacked in natural talent, Adams made up for in hard work and dedication. He first picked up a flute while a student at Harvard University, taking private lessons alongside working towards his college degree. By all accounts, he was hooked from the very start and he played the instrument almost every day without fail.
As a young man, Adams would play in Boston bars. According to his fellow students, the future President was a regular at informal, often drunken, jam sessions. As he grew older, his flute-playing became more refined, however. He would regularly receive sheet music, including works by the most-renowned American composers of the time. Some of these works still exist, and his own handwritten notes can still be seen. Adams was especially a fan of the tune Hail to the Chief. In fact, it was under him that the informal Presidential anthem was played for the first time, establishing a tradition that endures to this day.