It’s almost impossible to see growth up close.
Imagine checking your hair 30 minutes after a haircut. Can you see a difference? Me neither, but I know that some growth has continued. The same is true at the gym from one day to the next, or in choir from one rehearsal to another, or really anyplace where sustained, slow growth is the goal.
That’s why intermittent check-ins are so useful. They are the opportunity to make that growth visible. Think of grandparents seeing their grandchildren after several months apart. They see the change, but suddenly so do the parents (who see them every day) and even the children themselves.
Concerts are the chance to show off our growth to our audience of family and friends, but it’s also the chance for invisible daily growth to become visible to our students.
Not to us, though. Ensemble teachers must learn to see that invisible growth, guide it, shape it, and time it for those concert moments.