****Taking a lesson from music… Yesterday, my beloved B and I went to Santa Barbara (which we do every Thursday, to hang out with his 85-year-old mom, shopping, eating, playing games, and just generally having a great time). But this was a special treat day — it’s summertime, and the famed Music Academy of the West (sort of like a California version of Tanglewood) is in full swing, with day-time master classes open to the public. So off we went to enjoy a fabulous few hours in the phenomenally beautiful, elegant Academy, hearing four different duos (instrumental soloist plus pianist) in a Collaborative Piano master class, playing a variety of works by composers including Fauré and Chopin. What struck me most — besides the extremely high level of professionalism, commitment and musicality of the performers — were two things: - The willingness of these extremely accomplished musicians, playing at the top of their game, to be coached until their work is even better, - The leadership of the teacher, a remarkable pianist named Jonathan Feldman, who critiqued and commented from a generous, loving heart & a diplomatic way of shaping these musicians: mostly he invited them to expand their way of listening, or perceive the music they were making in a different way, by sharing his own vision of the music’s potential with them. Willingness to be coached… …even though you’re already great at what you do, you can always be better. It’s a rare quality, to take direction and entertain guidance and constructive criticism from someone else, in order to polish your skills or even take the risk to learn entirely new ones on the fly! (It’s also a necessary quality to develop, especially among top achievers… in any field.) Generous leadership… …how we teach sets the example others will follow. If we create relationships based in mutual trust, acknowledgement of everyone’s gifts and skills, and invite collaboration into a shared vision — there is enormous room for individual expression, growth, and the freedom to expand and explore in one’s own way. And everyone shines! And of course, what I experienced over these few hours of hearing musicians — already performing at a top level — was the beauty of professionals willing to take a risk and expand their skills, their listening, and sharpen their music-making, on the spot. And in each case, the end result was SO much better, than whatever they’d begun with!!! (A master class is kind of like a musical performance make-over — you come in with your natural beauty, already, but by the end, it’s gotten incredibly enhanced, through expert guidance and coaching.) Each duo created, with the clear, kind instructions from the teacher, a great success! My heart was soaring, listening to all this beautiful music being made… it was so inspiring. Later, I thought deeply about the experience and realized how important a teaching those few hours were, to me, about principles that apply to greatness in any field. I asked myself: How much willingness do I have, to be coached and guided and learn new things, especially waaaay out of my comfort zone? And: do I teach and share from a generous, loving place, truly helping others be a little bit (or a lot) better at their game than they are before we interact? What kind of an example am I setting? How can I do it better? There’s an old saying, “As in art, so in life.” I had a great dose of this truth yesterday, and wanted to share it with my friends, today… I hope you’ll enjoy my story, and I’d invite you to ask yourself the same questions, leading to your own ‘aha!’ moments of insight and growth. And success. I’m just sayin’… Alx full of the usual Healing Feeling - Lifechanging Zeal
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 18:18:18 +0000
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