Do you remember when everybody discussed iPhone’s mediocre function as a phone? Dropped calls, antennae, substandard sound. It was in every review of the first few iPhones versions.
I don’t hear people wring their hands about it anymore, and the reason is simple. Phone is not iPhone’s most important function. On Apple’s website, phone is the fourth feature mentioned, after the touch screen, photography, and video. I’d argue phone calls are about the seventh most important feature. Consider web browsing, video streaming, gaming, note taking, calendar, email, video conferencing, social media. Some or all of these are more important to all iPhone users than phone calls. Apple understood this, probably from the beginning – iPhone’s primary function isn’t as a telephone. And it was important they understood it, so they could focus properly on the most important things.
When was the last time you thought about your primary function? Is it what it used to be? Is it the words in your title?
You’re called music teacher, but is the actual teaching of music the most important task you do in a day? Second? Seventh? What are your other functions and how do you possibly rank them?
Here are a few options: Mentor, coach, parent, shoulder, good cop, bad cop, preacher, teacher, conductor, motivator, voice coach, theory professor, DJ.
All important functions. Prioritizing them and focusing on getting better at the most important ones is the best way you can improve the education you deliver every day.