I'm well past the traditional age for retirement. Occasionally I will permit myself to daydream about actually hanging up my spurs. But the truth is I still love teaching. I have a love/hate relationship with performance, but teaching is something that is in my blood. While on vacation my wife and I met a young man who was a friend of a friend. In the conversation I learned that he was teaching himself how to play guitar. So I gave him a few pointers. I mean, even on vacation I can't "not" teach.
I don't really perform in the traditional sense anymore. I play music for wedding ceremonies and occasionally background music for cocktails or dinner. Recently I've taken over as director of our church choir and I play some incidental music during the service. Given the opportunity, I could forsake the wedding and background gigs and just focus on my church duties, but financially that is not an option.
I became involved with classical music as a way to teach myself more about composing music. I really had very little understanding of how music worked so I used classical music as a vehicle to learn. But as I played more of this wonderful repertoire I had less interest in creating my own inferior product. I've only recently begun thinking about composing on a regular basis again. But now I'm arranging pop tunes for the students to play, or writing etudes to help them with their technique. I hope to complete my "Method" someday before it's too late.
I'm interested in using technology to help my students. I occasionally send them recordings of me playing their assignment. More often I suggest they record me with their phone during the lesson. I've recently started recording videos and uploading them to Google Drive. Then I send the link to the student. This way they can watch my hands and see what I'm doing. It's all stuff we discuss during the lesson of course, but this jogs the memory and reinforces the lesson.
Many people my age go into retirement and find new activities to help them stay busy. They golf, garden, volunteer at charitable functions, etc. But I get to continue doing what I love the most. I teach. It's difficult at times. I'm often up past midnight preparing materials and back at it again by 7:30am the next day. Some students are a challenge to deal with and I am predisposed to a short temper, so remaining professional is sometimes a struggle.
The payoff is watching the students progress. I watch them grow as people and as musicians. They have a deeper understanding of what it takes to get good at this or anything else. When they play at a recital I see children who often would prefer to be almost anywhere else tough it out, walk up on the stage, and play music for over a hundred others. They leave the stage relieved that it's over but with the confidence that they can survive being out of their comfort zone.
I think that teaching is the most creative thing I've ever done. I've heard "Hot Cross Buns" a million times, but each time is different. I help my students climb mountains every day knowing that I also get to share in their satisfaction of accomplishment. I live for those moments when their eyes light up and it all "clicks". I don't create music - I create musicians.
And so I proudly proclaim "I am a teacher!" I may occasionally be tired but I am never weary.