Many, many years ago, when I was a youngster and piano student, my piano teacher decided it would be beneficial for me to play for our church services once a month. Not just one tune here and there, but the whole church service from beginning to end. It was an immense opportunity!! So let me tell you what’s my takeaway all these years later.
Saturday Evening. First of all - I’ll tell you how it worked. On Saturday evening, the minister telephoned and gave me the the list of hymns for the next day. Which meant I had Saturday evening and Sunday morning briefly to prepare. But here’s what was so amazing - because the minister really knew what he was doing. He only chose hymns that he knewI was already familiar with. There was no learning brand new hymns in the schedule. And so, it was absolutely possible for me to get things ready for Sunday morning.
Looking back on this experience, I appreciate how little preparation was involved. Sure - I had several hours to get ready and most likely made ample use of that time. But, the point I want to make is that it wasn’t about practicing for months in order to get ready. It was about making things work with the time available.
Now - why am I sharing this story with you? What have I got in mind? What’s my takeaway?
Short Notice. Really… it’s quite quite simple. I think it’s important for students to know that they have the ability to put something together with short notice. Like the Holiday Concert that’s coming up very shortly - which only recently did I tell them about it. So they don’t have a ton of time to prepare - actually only 10 days during the busy month of December. Which means most students will play something they performed at last year’s concert. Some students are adding on the shortest, easiest arrangement they can find. You get the picture!
At the heart of it - that's my takeaway. Sometimes we have all the time we’d like to put together an impressive musical concert. Sometimes we only have the time available. I appreciate how when students build on what they already know, suddenly “short notice” isn’t a threat. It’s an invitation to trust their skills, lean on their already-familiar pieces, and understand that they can rise to the moment with far less preparation than they think they need. I'm hoping this year’s Holiday Concert becomes exactly that - an opportunity for students to experience their own resourcefulness and feel proud of what they can do with the time they have.
How do you feel about this topic? Are there any parallels to your own experiences?
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