When I was teaching my kids to swim, I had a mantra that I repeated and asked them to repeat.
“You’re Always Safe With Dad.”
If they were going to take the risks they needed to take to learn to swim, they needed to know that their safety was utterly secure. They needed to know that no matter how risky it felt, there was no risk because they would always have someone to catch them.
This is how I feel about the sacred spaces we call classes and rehearsals.
Of course I can’t make my students 100% safe, any more than I could really make my kids 100% safe – there was always an outside chance that something would happen out of my control to jeopardize their safety.
But the feeling of psychological safety is a prerequisite for learning and for taking the risks involved in artistic growth. Until my students know that I will do everything in my power to keep them safe, they will not take the risks they want and need to take.