Today, I Confess: Not Every Connection Lasts Forever
The past week has run off the rails for me.
I took my children to Ohio to visit my mother, whose health has been a struggle in recent months.
Long story short: an ambulance was called for her shortly after our arrival. This evolved into a much longer stay than intended, convoluted plans to get my girls back home without me, and an emotional roller coaster I'm getting a little too familiar with these days.
She was released to go home on Wednesday, not necessarily because she's better, but because the difference of being in the hospital vs. comfortable at home is minimal at this point.
It's tough.
As someone who loves to observe human behavior, I will admit: living in the hospital provides a constant stream of material for consideration.
Lots of people + high stress = fascinating behavior.
And...because I have a weird compulsion to turn everything into a Life Lesson for Piano Teachers, I'm coming out of this with a good one for you this week.
Connections may not last forever, but they still matter.
There are many people you encounter in the hospital: nurses, technicians, transport staff, etc. and every ounce of warmth someone provides you is appreciated. Those who take a moment to look in your eyes and acknowledge the pain of the situation are a welcome balm for the soul.
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I always grow quite attached to these people. With every shift change, I feel unsettled. We share these intensely vulnerable moments with healthcare workers, and then they're just... gone.
I would never dare to compare the difficulties of their work to ours, but studio music teachers do know something about unsettled goodbyes.
We've all had student relationships end unexpectedly, sometimes without the opportunity to say a proper farewell.
As I write this, I'm drinking coffee from a mug gifted to me by a student I loved. I was wholly invested in this girl, but out of the blue, her parent took offense at a longstanding policy, called me some choice names, and just like that, our relationship was over. It's been almost 10 years, and I still think about her every time I drink from this cup.
That situation was extreme and I hope you've never dealt with anything quite so dramatic... but any student exit can leave us feeling restless.
I talked all about making peace with these goodbyes (or lack thereof) in Episode 039 of the Beyond Measure Podcast, if you'd like to continue down that particular rabbit hole.
It's important to remember our impact on our students is not determined entirely by the length of their study.
Sure, it's meaningful to work with someone weekly for 10+ years. That's a beautiful aspect of our job when it happens.
...but the truth is: we can offer something to every student who enters our studio, even if it's just for an interview that ultimately progresses nowhere.
Time spent with a student is never wasted.
I'm grateful for my opportunity to offer guidance and understanding to my students (especially because, unlike nurses and other medical personnel, my role does not involve managing a variety of bodily fluids ๐
).
Time โ impact. Let's make the most of every student interaction we have.
Do you have a tale of student exit heartbreak? Hit reply and share!
๐ฅ May we aim to leave every student feeling more capable than when they arrived at our studio door. ๐ฅ
CHANGE OF PLANS: No MTNA For Me ๐๐ป
Obviously, it's been a week.
I've made the difficult decision to back out of MTNA this year. I am home in Indiana, but thoroughly drained and uncomfortable with the idea of traveling further away from my mom at this time.
Special thanks to Sara Campbell and Marie Lee for picking up my slack and covering my part of our Pedagogy Saturday presentation. Go check them out at 10:30am for a stellar session called Beyond Word of Mouth: Smart Strategies for Recruitment and Retention.
This one's a crusher, friends. Seeing everyone post about packing, traveling, presenting, lunching... it's all driving me into a pit of FOMO like you wouldn't believe.
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โ*Cue social media fast for the next few days. ๐
For those who are attending MTNA, what a wonderful opportunity to forge short-but-meaningful connections with colleagues, must like I was discussing today.
Enjoy every second!
Friendly Reminder: I'm offering a rare 40% off sale on the following resources:
Simply enter code mtna40 at checkout and save 40% (!)
Each includes thought-provoking video content designed to help you move beyond the status-quo of traditional teaching.
Questions? Simply reply to this email.
Hurry: The 40% discount will end on March 27th.
