There are at least four different mindsets around the universal human urge to make art.
- I want to make art, so I make art.
- I want to make art, so I ask for help and learn.
- I want to make art, but I don’t want to fail, so I wait for help to come to me.
- I want to make art, but I am too afraid to start.
We often shine the most light on those in the first category – the ones who have the fearlessness to develop their own skills. That’s like my students who walk into choir as tenors able to belt high B-flats.
And we celebrate the second category – those like my student who wanted to sing but could match only three pitches on the piano when we started lessons. In the course of our time, he expanded his range weekly, and now, a half-dozen years later, has released excellent recordings of original songs.
The third category is like the students who join choir but never audition for the solos they might secretly want, or in any other way leave their comfort zone. I lived in this category for much of my youth, and I work really hard to pay extra attention to those students I have who exhibit more passion than skill; I can see their yearning and do my best to empower it.
The fourth category is the hardest. These kids might never even join choir, so afraid are they of failing at what they love. Or they make themselves disappear after their first time coming up short in trying to make the art they so love. We have to work very hard to catch these students, to build them up, and to keep them on their artistic path.