"Here we are..... It's that time of year. Every year, I would finish my first day of classes, sigh with deep satisfaction, and remember why I do what I do. The delight in the children's eyes, the amazement on the mothers' faces, the laughing, the sweating, the singing, the playing, the teaching. It's SO fun!
It's fun to play and interract with young minds and energetic bodies! It's fun to share with them the music we love so much! It's fun to watch them discover and understand!
But it's even more fun, even deeply fulfilling, when we know and understand our purpose.
Sometimes, it's apparent. When we see the outward change in a child's self-esteem - we know our purpose. When we see mothers and children with arms wrapped around one another or eyes locked on each other - we know our purpose. When a student runs in and exclaims, "I can play chords with any song I know! Listen!" - we know our purpose.
Sometimes it's not as easy to see, and we have to remember that much of what we are doing is happening invisibly. I mentioned the Chinese Bamboo tree at Symposium because it helps us to remember our purpose even when we can't see it. (Go google it! You'll find lots of stories, videos and pictures!) This tree is planted from a seed then watered and nourished day after day, month after month with absolutely no visible results. For four years nothing at all happens!! Then, suddenly, in the fifth year, the tree shoots out of the ground and grows a miraculous 80 feet in about five weeks! Why? You probably know. During that four year period, roots are growing deep and strong. Those roots, nourished in diligence, patience and faith, finally produce the desired result.
When teaching some children feels like watering a Bamboo tree, just imagine those invisible roots. They are growing, connecting and strengthening. And they aren't just musical roots, either. There are social strengths you're giving them, intellectual capacity, emotional maturity, and priceless confidence.
You are making a great contribution in your teaching. And we feel that same sense of contribution when we work hard to support you in your purpose. Our company 'makes sense'. We contribute to something larger than ourselves and it is all grounded in our deepest values: children, relationships, excellence, education, joy, creation, beauty, achievement, and enjoyment.
I found a great quote a few days ago that inspired me to write this Big Picture. It's by Woodrow Wilson, president during WWI, and he said, "You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand."
Let's not forget our errand, our vision, our purpose. You, me, our staff. We are all here to enrich the world. Whether it's hard to see, or easy to see, it's always the same purpose. And it makes life so much more rewarding when we remember our purpose....
The Let's Play Music Vision:
To enrich lives, increase confidence, develop talent, enhance intelligence, and bond parent to child, by providing an outstanding music educational experience for children, using premium materials and lessons, taught by superbly trained teachers."
- Shelle Soelberg
