Living in Denial

Several years ago in graduate school, I received a call for a trial lesson with a potential new student.

This was when I was driving to students' homes for lessons. Something that I would only do as a college student...

Mom said the previous teacher wasn't engaging the student very well. And so, he wasn't making progress and they were looking for a new teacher.

I came to discover that the previous teacher was a very prominent teacher in the area. Not only a great pianist and teacher herself, but also married to a world-famous pianist.

So I wondered...what the heck could the problem have been?

I found out soon enough.

The boy could play okay. As with most students, we talked about practice strategies. Practicing in sections. Practicing slowly. Aiming for accuracy. 

Enjoying the process.

Not very sexy stuff. Certainly not fit for a Hollywood film. But the kind of strategies that get us to sounding awesome as quickly as possible.

If I could have done it again, I would have incorporated more creativity, improvisation, etc. I was still in 'school mode' and that wasn't part of my vocabulary yet.

When the lesson was finished, the boy had enjoyed the lesson. He told his mom as such. 

Mom responded, "So what did he tell you?"

He told her about our work practicing slowly, in sections, etc.

Mom skeptically replied, "That sounds a lot like what you've heard before, hmmm...???"

Translated: This is what the last teacher said, and you didn't like it. This teacher won't be any different.

Suffice it to say, I didn't receive a call back after our trial lesson.

Approaches may change. But strategies for life are irrefutable. And some are more comfortable living in denial.

In favor of the nonexistent easier path.

If your doctor says your diet is killing you, you could probably switch doctors enough times until you find one that says, "Eh, you'll probably be fine..."

But that won't change the end result.