The last time I was on a retreat was in 2019, and this weekend I’m (with school approval and as safely as I can) on a retreat with the Rockford Aces.
I’ve noticed a trend in my own retreat planning towards more human connection and away from actual musical rehearsal. Just a small percentage of the time, year over year, devoted to team building, free time, and connection.
This year, I’m leaning even harder into that. I feel like I don’t know my students well enough, and they don’t know each other well enough. It’s been a tumultuous two years, and between graduations, Zoom, and masks, we have a lot of rebuilding to do in the Group Connection Department.
The music will come. I have no doubt of that. But first, we must create real connection.