DPP, Day #20

No matter how often I perform, no matter how friendly the audience, no matter how easy the music, I always get at least a few tiny butterflies in my stomach when I step onto a stage. Thank goodness for my first teacher, a wonderful lady back in Idaho, who patiently allowed me to play duets with her at gigs and coffee shops when I was very young, and stressed the importance of sight-reading! That's how we learn the best, I think: by following people who are willing to bring us along the same road they are walking. Today it was my turn to bring a student alongside the group of adult players at the open mic night and say, "hey, come sit here. We're going to play this music without any prior rehearsal or practice, do our best, and have fun." And you know what, we all sounded pretty good. Maybe someday he'll say the same thing to one of his students.

Another one of my students performed solos at the open mic. He played classical guitar and then sang two songs while accompanying himself on acoustic. I was happy to see his confidence, in spite of the nervousness. When a student plays with their heart, with genuine feeling coming through the notes, then that is the best gift a teacher can receive.

Guitar Together