I got a surprise visit from an old friend a few days ago. We hadn't seen each other in a couple of years and haven't had a real conversation in nearly a decade. Even old men, it seems, get busy. I was finally able to congratulate him on being inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His group, The Blue Echoes, had a hit record in the late Fifties while he was still in high school. One of the first R&R groups in the state. He told me that they were also inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2012. I'm pretty impressed by all of this and very proud of him.
His professional career is actually in automotive engineering. He retired from a company that builds fire engines. Music has always been a part of his life, but not the way he's supported himself and his family. But he always seems to be gigging. Playing anywhere he was welcome. At 75 he still does. One weekend he's playing in a bar, and on another weekend he's playing a private party at a retirement community. He loves to play for people.
I like to play for people too. But I don't love it the way he does. I do love teaching though. It's something that I feel very passionate about. When I first began teaching college all those years ago, my insecurity, caused by being self-taught, actually inspired me to be a better teacher. I began collecting and studying course syllabi from other guitar programs. Each syllabus, it seems, introduced me to new music and new methods. But they also showed me what I was doing correctly. They offered the reassurance I needed.
I still like to study syllabi even though I haven't taught college for nearly four years. But a newer habit I've gotten into is watching master classes on YouTube. Watching other music teachers teach with the same exuberance as me is fun. (Does that make me a nerd or a geek or both? Or perhaps an educational voyeur?)
I love the nuts and bolts of teaching. Trying to figure out a new, more efficient way to explain a concept or a simpler way to teach a new technique. Different students respond to things differently. So my vocabulary needs to include several ways of explaining the same things. Whenever I'm able to add to my vocabulary it's cause for celebration. Whenever I find a way to refine the process I get excited. But if I attempt to share this "good news" with others I'm usually met with blank stares or indifference. With the occasional "That's nice" or "Congratulations" tossed in. A humbling reminder that not everyone shares my enthusiasm for this topic.
I'm also reminded of how lucky I am to be able to do this. Like my friend who still gigs, I still teach. Although an occasional attitude adjustment may be required. But I get that from my students. It's my students who goad me into action and won't allow me to coast. The ones who insist on asking one more question. The few who are willing to work harder than most of the others. It's their attitude that adjusts mine when required.
They say if can get paid doing what you love you'll never work a day in your life. I don't believe that's true. I work very hard. But I do believe that you learn that work and play are two sides of the same coin. Hard work is not a bad thing if it's the right work. And if you're lucky it will last a lifetime.