Teaching Moment

The tables were turned on me. I was one of many people attending the District III Music Festival; excited to listen to what these young people had to present to us proud parents, grandparents, teachers and the like. What I did not expect that day was a lesson.

“Districts” as they are know is an opportunity for young people from various schools to be brought together for two days to collaborate with their musical gifts and passions. The auditorium was completely full as these young artists made their way into the hall. They sat in front of us, facing us much like a professor might do in a college classroom. They then, from a simplistic point of view, just played and sang. The music was overwhelmingly beautiful. I was quickly struck by the wonderful harmony that they were able to generate. It was clear that they had each individually worked very hard on their chosen instrument, whether that be a traditional instrument or their own voice.

While I enjoyed their musical offerings, I recognized, intertwined with the notes and melodies, a teaching moment; not for them, but for me, for all of us. The tables had been turned.

Now I am a neophyte when it comes to musical proficiency, but this lesson had little to do with that. It was a lesson about embracing the gifts of others, on working together to create something truly beautiful, if only for one day, one concert. I found myself contemplating times when I was less than fully committed to the collective potential we all have when we put aside our differences and truly come together. These young people, many strangers less than 48 hours ago, were able to create beautiful music together. What was their secret?

One hundred years ago the word teenager did not exist. There were children and adults, nothing more. There are lots of reasons that things have changed, but our society seems to have adopted the construct that being a teenager makes someone less than a full member of society. They don’t have any experience, or they “don’t understand” or they’re “just too young.” Some teenagers themselves look to these “in-between” years as a time of little responsibility or “down-time” before the realities of adulthood are finally laid upon them. Like most things in life, there is no black and white answer to this quandary, just shades of gray that we all need to navigate through.

Although it is interesting to consider the lesson these young people taught us that day, I don’t know if they realized they were actually seizing a “teaching moment.” Maybe our adult experience would have told us that just two days to put aside our differences and come together was unrealistic. Perhaps their willingness to just take action without fear of failure, or even consideration that failure was an option, is more important.

I don’t know what their secret is, maybe we should ask them; and then..... listen