Today, I Confess: I Broke My Own Rule. Twice.
Six days ago, I opened Facebook to see a post by my friend, Elizabeth Davis-Everhart of the Creative Piano Pedagogy podcast (check out our conversation about neurodiverse students here).
Elizabeth was the first teacher in my sphere of influence to express outrage over a 60 Minutes post, teasing an upcoming feature on a "new" approach to teaching piano called The Payam Method.
As you likely know, the foundation for that teaser (and subsequent airing) was the claim that "most" students do not enjoy piano lessons. Payam claims the rest of us think "lessons are supposed to be stressful" and other untruths that got our collective blood boiling.
I saw red, friends. ๐
You know I love this profession with my whole heart. I value what you do in your studio and I can't stand the thought of someone questioning the heart and intellect we bring to teaching music.
...so, I did what most 21st century humans do: I jumped into the comments section on the original post. I scolded 60 Minutes and Payam Music for choosing an us-versus-them angle to this piece. It was a fair-but-scathing reprimand from your Anytime Piano Teacher Friend here. ๐๐ป
Immediately after posting, I remembered something important: I have a Personal Policy against "angry" posts online.
They don't sit well with me. They make me feel out of touch with several of my core values, namely humility and curiosity.
(two sentiments severly lacking from the 60 minutes piece, but I digress...) ๐
I deleted my comment.
This is not to say YOU shouldn't participate in healthy debate online. I just know - for me - the dissonance it brings to my life is never worth it. I'm not built for it.
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Of COURSE we need people who refute falsehoods spread online. If you were one of the many who expressed your disdain to 60 Minutes, thank you for standing up for our profession.
...and, lest you think I learned my lesson the first time...
I DID IT AGAIN.
Last night, I watched yet-another-recap of the story from 60 Minutes and was once again infuriated by the Straw Man Argument they're using. My fingers flew to the comments section and started typing away... but then I remembered my Personal Policy of online engagement.
I never hit "post" on that comment. I'll call that progress! ๐
The point of this Confession is NOT to draw more attention to this ridiculous 60 Minutes story. It's already getting more eyeballs than it deserves.
(Besides, you can hear my thoughts on the story in this week's episode of Beyond Measure - including lessons to be learned from the Payam Method itself.)
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Instead, I wanted to point out how helpful it can be to have Personal Policies in place to protect yourself from things you know to be harmful to your mental state.
...some might even call this a Zero-Energy List... ๐
NOW I'M CURIOUS: What Personal Policies (or Zero-Energy Lists) do YOU have in your own life? What 0-Tolerance Boundaries do you find necessary to protect your peace?
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I'd love to hear yours. Click REPLY and let me know what comes to mind!
๐ฅ May we all find contentment in a job well-done, even when the world seems distracted by the latest shiny ideas. Keep doing your own great work, friends. It matters. ๐ฅ