Savvy Musician in Action: In Retrospect

Heading down to South Carolina last Wednesday, I wasn't really sure what to expect. And admittedly, since I tend to have a bit of homebody inertia, there was definitely a part of me that didn't want to get on the plane.

I don't need to go into detail about the day-to-day at the Savvy Musician in Action, but here's something remarkable: I was never, not even once, bored. Every single leader (David Cutler, Howard Herring, Ranaan Meyer, Kimball Gallagher, Ariel Hyatt, and quite a few more) was inspiring and engaging... kind of eerily so.

And then over the 4.5 days that followed, we formed teams, created business models, actualized the business to whatever extent possible, and then pitched our creations. miniMaestros took on a Pinocchio-type metamorphosis, and I could actually see the 'film composition camp for kids' happening beyond the workshop-realm. And who knows... it just might.

Our team was fantastic. I'm not sure how I managed to know exactly who to work alongside, but it was pretty much a perfect group of people. We all had our strengths/weaknesses, and OH MY GOD, I learned a little bit about not being a control freak.

Beyond any of the particulars though, I [re]discovered some important concepts:

• There are some amazingly intelligent, inspiring people out there. I want to hang out with them. It's time to avoid people wearing grumpy-pants.
• Even amongst these incredible humans, I hold my own. I don't have to be the absolute smartest or the very best... I just have to remember that I have some good things to contribute to this little world of ours, and then I have to go and do them. 
• Meet people where they are. Yo-Yo Ma talks about this in his famous "Art for Life's Sake" speech, and certainly I understood and agreed with the concept from the beginning, but I don't think I had fully experienced the different that mindset can make until this week. All of the leaders at the workshop took the people they met seriously, without even a spark of condescension. It was a great reminder that I need to (always!) follow suit. 
• I am not comfortable with public speaking. I'm fine teaching a class 15 or 85 students, or talking one-on-one... but public speaking is a whole other thing that makes me flip out. Goal for this year is to fix that (practice. breathe/correct. practice.) because it's hindering beyond the capacity to give speeches; it runs deeper than that, and if I can improve my ability to talk in public, I believe I'll be better at relating to people in general.

And so much more. I could go on for quite a while, but suffice it to say that I feel like a better version of myself. Now, holding on to that feeling as I move through the rest of the summer and into whatever happens next.

Tomorrow: VT to hang signs and do other organizational details for the Pikes Falls Chamber Music Festival. But first... I have to go for a run. It has been too long.

Our miniMaestros red-carpet exhibit