Yesterday I unexpectedly met up with an old friend &
musical mentor of mine. He happened to be in town for the night to catch a
concert and after the show we met up for some drinks. We ended up at a real
"down home", local bar & grill called, Ollie Gators. If you're
from South Jersey you've probably been there
or at least heard of it. Good food, good people, the kind of place where
"everybody knows your name" (sorry, had to say it)
Now this friend of mine is the kind of guy that could do
anything with his life, but was born to be one of three things: A teacher, a
preacher, or an artist. It just so happens he became all three. I mean, this is
the kind of guy that you go to grab a bite to eat with and the next thing you
know you're enrolling yourself back in college to get your PhD! Anyway, I think
you get the point.
As all of you know I’m a singer/songwriter and performer.
What many of you don't know is that I am also a full-time private music
teacher. I guess you can say I've chosen to make music my life in every facet.
Even though I absolutely LOVE what I do, it can also be the most frustrating
career on the planet. In this career it’s very easy to sometimes loose sight of
your purpose, goals and meaning. So, without going into too much detail, if
there was ever a time that I needed to unexpectedly meet up with him it would
have been last night.
In a full-blown conversation I was expressing this
frustration of losing focus, purpose and meaning for creating, performing and
teaching music in a sometimes unreceptive world. In the midst of all the beer
and food there were two things he said last night that I distinctly remember.
"As artists and musicians, we are here to give back to
creation, to make life for others and ourselves just a little bit
better."
"As a music teacher my job is to reach the 90% of you
who will never make it in this business.
You will become the important business men, lawyers and politicians of
the world. If I can inspire you now and instill in you a sincere appreciation,
then the life of art and music will thrive in the future."
I just wanted to share a little of this man’s brilliance
because over the years it has inspired me and continues to have such an affect
on my life and my music.
Cheers!
-m. august