I’m busy learning lessons from students.
I recently had a first voice lesson with a former student. He hadn’t sung regularly in a long time, and really misses singing and wants to get back into it.
He certainly has some goals, as well as a lot of high-level training and skill in his past. But the most important piece is his willingness to jump back in after an absence.
There are two lessons I’m taking away from his leap.
- Remember that it’s never too late to jump into things. We can tell ourselves the story that because we have stopped, we can’t start. Or because we didn’t do something when we were young, we can’t do it later. These are compelling stories, but the reality is that we can start something whenever we want.
- Remember that the most important thing is wanting to be there. As an educator, I work really hard to help students develop goals, sustain growth, and achieve. That’s my job. But working hard on goals can obscure the fact that the most important thing is wanting to be there. If you’ve got that, everything else will come together.
What a blessing it is to teach – we can learn so much from our students!