The Illusion of Progress

"Be not afraid of going slowly.  Be afraid only of standing still."

-Chinese Proverb-

The above proverb has, in a way, become my motto.  I have it written on the whiteboard above my desk at work.  I see it many times each day and it reminds me that as long as I am laboring and working to make progress, then everything will work out just the way it should.  Progress always.  

I had a teacher in high school that was pretty influential on my life.  Her name was Judy Pederson and she was my Honors and AP English teacher.  I remember her telling our class more than once (probably many, many times) over the years that when we cease to learn something each day, that's when we die.  I didn't really understand it all that well as a teenager and I'm not sure I fully get it even now.  I just finally realize that not striving my hardest to make progress is not just standing still - it's going backward.  I cannot afford to move the wrong direction in life - I'm not willing to try that move.

Over the last month I have been working with a friend of mine, Luke.  He is currently working on his MM degree at NYU.  He is back in the area for a little while and has been giving some music theater workshops.  I was the pianist and it was truly remarkable to see the transformations that the attendees (I can't think of an appropriate word to call them) made over the course of their session.  I also learned a few things.  The other night after I practiced my scales and was making my plans for the rest of my practice session, I decided to try a little something different.  In these workshops Luke talked about a process called centering - and I decided to try it.  Granted, as a pianist I am not using my words to convey the emotion but rather all the technical things like tone, voicing, and the like.  Well, I decided to try it anyway.  It was amazing.  I tried it first with Bach.  My Bach has been with me so long that it's just become a part of me.  As I played it, it felt different - I was noticing different things within the piece - important things.  It was incredible.  I don't know that I even want to go back to playing it the way it was.  Using the centering  process on Bach was like being in the dead center of a lightning storm.  Lightning is flashing all around you and things are being seen in new and exciting ways - but in flashes.  It was like being taken to a higher realm and understanding things that my teachers have been trying to tell me about playing.  Anyway, that's enough of that rambling.  I just really felt the need to share.

If any of you are in the Treasure Valley area, Luke Lords is giving a recital at Rocky Mountain High School on Thursday, June 30 at 7 PM.  Come and support him - it's going to be brilliant!!