Teaching Year in Review

It's been an exciting year of teaching music and as it draws to a close, I find myself being so grateful that this is my vocation. I get paid to do a job that I love so deeply.

As part of Iowa BlueZones Project, I participate in an online Daily Health Challenge. Recently the challenge was to "Write down 2 key characteristics of your ideal job or volunteer work" Here are some excerpts from my post:

"I am working my ideal job right now! 1) Teaching music 2) Creating and performing music."

"Music is my life's work whether volunteering or teaching! I feel so fortunate and am truly grateful to God."

"Music is the language of the heart (my motto printed on my business cards) ..."

"Members of the American Indian Culture Club at our University [I'm the advisor] are having a sacred fire ceremony as part of a city wide EcoFair. We will extinguish the fire at dawn tomorrow morning. Boy is it a lot of work to keep wood gathered for that fire! I don't know how my grandparents did it." 

"[The] Drumming is awesome as is the flute playing. We are having a wonderful weekend."

"Truly all of my music comes from God because it is inspiration from the Absolute and I am so humbly grateful for anything that comes to me."

Suffice it to say, I'm having a great time!

My students give me inspiration daily whether in private lessons, ensembles or the classroom. I find that often if I am open, I learn from them...not necessarily knowledge of the subject (although sometimes that is the case too) but rather life lessons. Embrace your passion and do it. Love what you have and give it away to keep it. 

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi said "Music raises life to Unity Consciousness, in which every boundary breathes the melody of the unbounded"

I can't think of a anything more inspiring to pursue than something that raises life to that level!

'There are no mistakes, only happy accidents' (Bob Ross, artist)

I lead a small jazz ensemble comprised of college students from varied backgrounds and of all ages. Many times throughout our rehearsals, I will mention to beginning improvisers that 'there are no mistakes, only happy accidents.' I once heard the renowned painter and TV show host, Bob Ross, say this as he made what most would have considered a big blooper while painting a landscape on the canvas. He was always very calm so this phrase just rolled off his tongue easily as he continued to paint incorporating the "mistake" --that was not a mistake-- into what became a very beautiful finished product. It was no surprise but quite a delight when one of my students sent along a TED Talks link about the same principle. Thanks Sherry!

It's comforting to know that other musicians subscribe to the same principle and are able to explain it so thoroughly. And musician or not, this principle can be applied to any endeavor. It conveys the idea that an unexpected change of course is an opportunity to create something that will be possibly even more enriching than what you had originally planned.

This happens to me and my composing partner, Paul, quite often as we start to record a new composition. When we are set, we hit record and even if there is a "mistake" (something we hadn't planned on), it is a journey into the realm of the Absolute from which all creativity flows and most often a very "happy accident". Many new songs have arisen from the flow of such "accidental" streams.

Below is the link to the TED Talks video by Stefon Harris. May you see every "mistake" as an opportunity to create something new and exciting!  :O)

TED Talks -Stefon Harris There are no mistakes on the bandstand.html