Thursday, August 25, 2011

Walking The Walk

I gave a workshop on bluegrass and mountain music this evening. It was fun to go through the music I had to prepare, but it was challenging, and reminded me what practicing meant. I love this music, but it's a difficult style to play well and I'm not immersed in it the way the best bluegrass pickers are. So I felt a real need to prep, and I was glad I did. Played a lot of mandolin, that was fun.

I had a realization the other day in a lesson: that once a student reaches a certain level of skill, the difference between student and teacher is a matter of their different listening and problem-solving abilities. I can see the problems when I make sure to look for them, and giving them attention leads to solutions. Ultimately, this is the most important skill I want my students to learn....how to stay on the road to being a better player.

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