There is a particular anxious-excited, scared-joyful feeling you have when you’re tackling something big and new for the first time. As you repeat similar projects, that feeling ebbs, even if you continue to feel jitters or nerves. I think of the first European choir tour I organized, or the first concert I conducted, or the first time I sang solo in public, or waiting for my first class of college students to walk into the room.
Even as I am overwhelmed by this feeling, I love it – because it means I’m breaking new ground, trying something I haven’t done before.
After tonight’s brand new concert, I’m thinking about how students feel that way all the time. I’ve conducted the Aces at S&E festivals dozens of times: but last Saturday, someone was probably feeling that scared-joyful feeling. Holding space for it, recognizing it, and guiding students through it is a privilege as an educator.