Striking the Right Note: Inspirations from a Children's Music Concert

I do not consider myself musically articulate. I tend to suffer from the musical equivalent of two left feet. Don’t get me wrong, I love music but it’s the minutiae of music that make me fall flat, no pun intended. So it was with more than a dose of healthy skepticism that I found myself sitting at my son’s first school music performance on an autumnal Friday night. It was a concert hosted for the incoming Year 7 boys at his new secondary school.

Just looking at the programme guide gave me a sense of foreboding of what was about to come. Musical instruments of various kinds (Piano, Guitar, Violin, Cello, Clarinet, Flute, and even a Saxophone) in the hands of hyperactive, relatively untrained 11-year old boys. This had the makings of musical mayhem. I had mathematically figured out that there were 35 budding musicians looking to individually deliver (20 Piano, 7 Guitar, 2 Clarinet, 2 Flute, 2 Voice, 1 Keyboard and 1 Saxophone performance). This would be one long evening – or so I thought!

Preparation – A Strong Start

"All things are ready, if our minds be so."

William Shakespeare

Alex kicked off proceedings on vocals followed by a couple of strong performances by James and Jacob on the piano. I started to wonder about the amount of preparation that might have gone in for them to come up on stage. I cast a quick glance at the rest of the students waiting for their chance. Some of them kept practising by tapping their little fingers on their musical note book they were clutching to, as if it were a piano. They had accomplished a lot by the simple act of diligently preparing for their chance. And deliver they did when the chance came without any visible stage fright!

It brings up interesting parallels when we look at our own lives. Beyond all the clichés about preparation, how many times do we drown out those voices (of confusion, of doubt, of people) and actually present and deliver what we practised or were trained to do. When our chance comes, all of that effort is worthwhile, isn’t it?

It could be practising in front of the mirror for that great pitch, running that extra lap in the rains to better your own time for the next half marathon or even just cooking that soufflé once more to perfect it before getting into a local cooking competition!

Someone has said that good luck is the residue of preparation. We can all make ourselves lucky just by the sheer effort of preparation we put into for what is important to us.

Confidence and Courage – Believing In Yourself

"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." 

Vincent Van Gogh

We went through performances that got increasingly better. Brian then took the stage to deliver a piece of his own. It was his interpretation of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking Out Loud’ – no notes, no Mozart, no plan B if he couldn't pull it off. They say that preparation and self-confidence go hand in hand. Brian demonstrated this by his rather original approach which was a master class in believing in yourself. 

I am certain that he wasn’t even aware but he made at least some of the adults learn a lesson or two. Like Brian, if we believe in ourselves and allay our doubts, couldn't we all go a bit further?

This could range from courageously opening that new fusion restaurant that everyone thinks might be too risky, to launching a new rock musical that might be too edgy or simply just branching out on one’s own leaving the convenience and comfort of the monthly pay check!

Working on something confidently and courageously without thinking too much about setbacks, helps you to face any challenges rather than simply worry about avoiding them.

Concentration and Focus – Keep Persevering

“You will get there …but only if you keep going.”

Unknown

Anthony was confidently crooning Sam Smith’s ‘Stay with Me’while strumming along on his guitar. As the song was about to end, the audience started applauding ahead of time to acknowledge a good performance. This caused him to pause and the audience soon realized their mistake - they had clapped a verse too early!

I almost expected him to get up, take a bow and leave - a bit fazed by it all. However, he seemed unruffled and said, “Never mind!” Much to everyone's surprise, he just calmly composed himself as soon as the applause had died down. He quickly resumed from where he had left off and completed the last few lines.

He demonstrated that when life (or audience in some cases) throws you a curve ball, you don’t need to forget your lines or bail out. Take a step back and collect yourself, take a deep breath and carry on regardless, with the same focus you invested into the activity in the first place!

Coaching – Believing In More

“All coaching is, is to take a player where he can’t take himself”

Bill McCartney

Mr. Meehan, the music teacher, kept a protective eye on his young wards – it was obvious from his encouraging eyes to someone who had missed a note or two, participating to provide the background score when needed, or to simply controlling the nervous energy of those 7th graders. He was a coach rather than just another music teacher.

When Thomas faltered on Clementi’s Allegro, he looked instinctively towards his teacher. Mr. Meehan's tender whisper to Thomas to press on with the next few notes was priceless. In my view, teaching is what the school had asked him to do but what Mr. Meehan was doing every day was to mould those minds into simply believing.

 In most of our lives, we have come across people (or actively seek people) who go that extra mile (your mentor, your boss or anyone else you can count on) to get the best out of you. They do it sometimes with the calm reassurance of their approach, at other times with their non-judgemental attitude when things don't go to plan and sometimes just a sound reprimand if we have been lax.

But central to their belief is recognizing that you will be better tomorrow compared to where you are today. In doing so, they inspire us to not only learn but also practise when it is our own turn to coach.

Teamwork – Accomplishing More

“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself”

Henry Ford

During one of the short breaks, James seemed a bit hesitant on whether he would pull off the second instrument he was playing that night. He seemed to be talking to himself when he said,” I am not sure I am going to get this right."

I almost expected one of these competitive kids to make it tougher for him, considering they were all very eager to prove their individual skills. However, barely had he said those words when Sid, one of his friends encouraged from the back, “Don’t worry James. You will be all right. You will do just fine.” Sure enough, he gave a melodious rendition of a Welsh classic on the cello.

Later, I wondered when was the last time we picked a colleague up when things didn’t seem to be going right for her. It could be a gentle pat on the back, a quiet nudge of assurance or just a calm chat over a beer at the local bar. We are all sometimes so self-involved that we find it tough to go beyond the competitive spirit of our own immediate aspirations.

In the grand scheme of life, teamwork matters and the best way forward is to support and trust, to believe and help. Yes, even more in the widely conflicting, wildly competitive world of ours.

Bringing It All Together

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be”

Lao Tzu

The evening ended with a student from Year 13 mesmerizing us with a foot tapping piece called Fantasia, on the saxophone. In a way, the last performance was the school’s way of telling us what our sons could grow up to be, musically at least, as they approached university – the possibilities were quite plausible.

In summary, get rid of your biases and go attend your child’s concert. You might just get a re-fresher course on life, irrespective of whether you can differentiate your staccato from your legato!