Role Reversal

I had a total deja vu moment yesterday with one of my students, except I found that the roles were reversed. My student asked me if I thought he had enough talent. More specifically~ talent to be a part of an orchestra. I encouraged him that no matter what his age is that he can always try for it. There are so many levels of orchestras that there is definitely a fit for him somewhere. Also playing in orchestra takes a lot of dedication, more than talent in my opinion. He definitely has the skills to do so, it is more a question of how much time he has to commit to it. Besides I know plenty of people who may not be naturally inclined to their instrument, but they work so hard that they get anything they want. That is exactly what I told my student. It's about work ethic, not about talent.

Flash back many years to lil me asking a teacher if she thought I was wasting my time. She didnt give me a straight answer, but her reaction was clear... I should quit while I was ahead. It was a depressing day, similar to the day when another teacher asking me what I was going to do since I was "never going to be a soloist". I wish somehow we could instill in teachers that it is not our job to tell our students what they can't do, but rather encourage them towards their dreams and help them along the way. You don't instill false hopes, but you never ever stomp on someone's dreams.