I give the impression that my passion is music. Make no mistake, I love music. But my true passion is teaching. I have a "blue-collar" approach to music and art. I prefer to do it during certain periods of the day and then knock off until tomorrow. But I can wake up in the middle of the night and worry about a student. In social settings my favorite topic of conversation is teaching.
I have a love affair with music that goes back to my earliest memories. Playing music, and ultimately relying on music to support myself and my family, made more sense to me than it did to the people around me. The problem has always been that I'm pretty good at it, but I'm not great. When I sent a demo to MCA records in the mid-seventies, an A & R guy called me at home and said that he really liked it. He went on to say that if I was an established artist it would most definitely be a hit. But because I was unknown he felt that it only had about a 90% chance. He wouldn't touch it unless it was closer to 100%. As Maxwell Smart said on TV, "Missed it by that much...". I have a succession of stories like that. Close but no cigar.
The thing is I was never really that surprised. I sort of felt it but I never wanted to admit it to myself. But teaching was a different story. I have always enjoyed showing stuff to others. And because music is the only thing that I do fairly well, showing it to others made sense.
The old adage "Those who can, do. And those who can't, teach" is rubbish. My standard retort is "...and those who can do neither, are critics." In music these are two separate skills. I've known some brilliant artists who couldn't teach the simplest things. I suspect that this is true in nearly every field.
With all of the performing that I've done over the years, I think it's telling that I've never received a standing ovation. However, I did receive one at a student recital for my efforts with the kids. My focus has always been on beginning and intermediate players. So it's nice to be recognized for it.
If you want me to smile then compliment me on my playing. If you want me to beam then compliment my students on their playing. If you want me to start talking and never shut-up simply ask, "How do you do that?"