I live just outside of West Point and we often host cadets. The rule at my house is, if it's your first night visiting the Mara house and you're a cadet, you have to play an instrument. This is an ice breaker thing, not a haze; zero judgment.Truth be told, I looked it up. I am not a guitar guy (my son plays), but I saw it and thought it was unusual with a bit of an unusual sound, and liked it. But I like bluegrass and thought it would fit right in.
If I DID play a stringed instrument it would be the mandolin, because my last name is Mandelin.
My wife has a grand piano and a good variety of basic percussion, wind, and stringed instruments. Worst case, a cadet can just play the tambourine or the egg shaker. What basically happens is that we put a song on the big screen and it turns into karaoke with live instruments.
Some of the cadets have MAD talent, especially on piano. One cadet we had over a couple of years back played the fiddle the way I imagine it when down in the "Devil Went Down to Georgia" story. But they are often too shy to bring it up, or to try it in public. We give the venue, and the compunction.
This Sunday we're going to see what @Topkick's son has got. ;)