I went to Target yesterday to pick up the last few items from the school supplies list for my son’s Kindergarten class. While I was there, I overheard some high school students discussing which notebook would best empower them in their first AP class. Was it the one with the flowers, or the traditional Mead 5 subject notebook?
Ultimately the notebook she chose will not determine her success in her AP class, but her frame of mind as she starts the class will. Which notebook doesn’t matter, but her mindset and intention while using it does. I was impressed by all of the consideration the girl and her friends put into how they would know which notebook was the best, and I just had to wonder- what if we all put that much thought into setting ourselves up for a successful school year?
So how does that translate to music lessons? I think that our “notebook”, the thing that will set our frame of mind and intention as we head back to music lessons this fall, is deciding our “why”. The reason why and the intention we have as we approach practice will shape the outcome.
So what’s YOUR why? Why did your family choose to start music lessons? Whether it was last week or 10 years ago when you started, we all have reasons for doing music lessons that are dynamic and may change over time. Maybe you started lessons to build your child’s fine motor skills, but now 10 years later, you’re most impressed with the time management skills your child is building. Perhaps your goal started out as developing your child’s love of music, and that goal has remained the same throughout your child’s studies. Whatever your reasons are or were, I encourage you to take a moment to write down your “why” and let it guide you as you embark on a new year of music lessons.
Please take a moment to leave your "why" in the comments!
Dawna