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Episode 119:  Cheers to Being Equally Human (A Storytime Episode: Conference Edition)

Hello, teacher friends!  A longtime listener asked me recently when I was going to have another Storytime episode of this podcast.  For those who have been around since the early days, I have a couple of lighthearted episodes – namely episodes 7 and 16 – where I basically told stories from my musical past. I kind of can’t believe it’s been over 100 episodes since I released a storytime chat, but it feels like high time I do it again.  So, without further delay, I give you this:  Episode 117, a Storytime Episode, the Music Teacher Conference Edition. If you aren’t into the conference scene, have no fear.  Today’s stories are all about the PEOPLE in our profession, not about the conference experience itself.  Anyway, I am Christina Whitlock, your Anytime Piano Teacher Friend, and here we go….

So, if there’s one truth I’ve learned since entering the content creator space, it’s this:  The voices in our profession that you know and love and respect are, indeed, quite fantastic.  But just because they are the voices who are more widely known, does not automatically make them any more wise than anyone else.  That is especially true of ME.  A lot of you know me now, and I certainly don’t pretend to have any of this completely figured out. But newcomers like me, and all the longtime bloggers and composers and writers and teachers we’ve grown up admiring… the thing about them, is the fact that they are ones willing to put themselves OUT THERE.

And – truly – that is no small feat. Putting your work out there takes so. Much. courage. So I’m all for giving ANYONE props who does that.

In the end, the stories I’m sharing today all come back to the fact that we are ALL equally human.  There are no superhumans among us.  Sure, there are people we look up to, who have accomplished great things.  And it’s fun to meet people whose work you’ve long admired. But, the truth of the matter is, there is no one walking among us who is any less human than we are.  😊  We’ve all said the wrong things.  Made situations awkward. We’ve all been wrong. We’ve all had embarrassing performances. We all make awkward sounds in the bathroom sometimes.  There are no exceptions to this.  And connecting with people at conferences is one of the best ways to remember this fundamental truth.

So, in honor of the MTNA National Conference happening RIGHT NOW as this episode releases, I thought it was time to share some of my favorite conference stories.

Our first story today is a flashback – WAY back – to the World Piano Pedagogy Conference, which is an event that no longer exists… but once upon a time it used to be held in Las Vegas. I attended my first and only World Piano Pedagogy Conference in 2006. I remember a particularly great session on studio business.  I remember a masterclass with Leon Fleisher, in which he told the student it was sometimes okay to play with a flat finger and there was an audible gasp from several audience members.  😊  I remember John Perry playing Beethoven 109-100-111.  But – my FAVORITE memory from that trip is this.  This is highly unusual, but that conference included a buffet-style lunch one day. I must have arrived a little late, because I ended up being the next-to-last person in line for food.  When I got to the serving table, I reached to grab my plate and it was the last one.  Behind me stood a kind-looking woman and we made eye-contact over this socially-awkward moment. I looked beside the single plate and saw a heated tray of rigatoni with, maybe 7 rigatoni noodles left in it.  We both got a little chuckle.  Apparently this was NOT the lunch to arrive late to.  Before I knew it, she and I were laughing and devised a plan to share the plate and the few rigatoni noodles that were left.   There also must not have been any chairs left, because we definitely stood while we ate our one, shared plate of noodles. As we talked, I learned more about her and… lo and behold… this lovely human was none other than Joyce Grill, a powerhouse of a composer for Alfred publishing.  I’d be shocked if you haven’t taught her work in your studio.  She’s written SO. MUCH. Terrific music.  And, I assure you, there has not been a conference SINCE where I haven’t spent a nice amount of time chatting with Joyce in the Alfred booth in the exhibit hall.  I also know she follows this podcast, so hiiiii to my friend, Joyce Grill! 😊 My students love learning this story when they play her compositions. They think it’s so cool I’ve shared a plate of food with their composer. It’s an excellent reminder that those names we see printed at the top of their music belong to living, breathing human beings.  Who sometimes arrive late to a meal, just like me.  😊

Anyway, Joyce Grill is awesome, and I’m so happy we share this fun little story.  Thanks, World Piano Pedagogy Conference, for underestimating how much food – and how many chairs – you needed in 2006.

So, speaking of the people you meet at conferences…. Let’s jump to the year 2014.  This time, we’re at my state MTA conference.  I’d recently been named President-Elect for the state of Indiana, so I was feeling pretty official at that point. We were gathering for our board of directors meeting, again, over a lunch, and I spotted an open seat next to a man in a suit who I didn’t recognize.  Granted, I couldn’t see his face; I just saw the back of his head and noticed he was in a suit.  I guess I just assumed this was, maybe, a local chapter president I hadn’t met yet, or someone else who didn’t typically attend our other board meetings.  I don’t know what I was thinking.  But I pulled out my chair to sit down, and I didn’t even look at his face before I shot my hand out to him and said, “Hi! I’m Christina Whitlock, President Elect. What’s you’re name?”… feeling VERY important, mind you.  The man turned his kind face toward me and said (I can still hear the sweet inflection in his voice), “Hi Christina.  I’m Marvin Blickenstaff.”

Annnnnd…. Then I died a little. 😊 If you DON’T know who Marvin Blickenstaff is… well, he is an enormous contributor to the field of piano pedagogy. I don’t really even know where to start.  But regardless, he’s a living legend.  And I just shot my hand out and introduced myself to him like *I* was the big deal.  I was so embarrassed and I’ve since learned the all-important lesson to make sure I actually look someone in the face before I speak to them.  It’s a good rule.

But, of course, if you DO know anything about Marvin Blickenstaff, it’s that he is gentle and wise and humble and exceedingly gracious.  SO – I now count myself lucky that I got to sit by him for that board meeting/luncheon.  I mean, why hadn’t someone already scooped up that chair before I got there, anyway?  Oh well… lucky me!

And that’s really the thing about music teacher conferences.  You just never know who you’re going to end up seeing in an elevator.  Or in line for coffee.  I’ve made many lovely friends just from choosing the right seat at a session or asking someone a question in passing. And THAT is the magic of conference attendance. Sure, I learn a lot from sessions.  I really do. I am kind of nerdy in that regard.  But, in the end, it’s getting in close proximity with people.  It’s reminding yourself that we all have something to offer this profession.  It’s conversations over meals when you REALLY get to hear what works for people and what doesn’t.

Of course, we all have our starstruck moments. I remember seeing Wendy Stevens walk past me outside the MTNA exhibit hall years ago and how desperately I wanted to go say hello.  I didn’t work up the nerve.  Little did I know that just one year later, I’d be having lunch with her and Amy Chaplin as Amy and I tried our best to work our magic to get her to come to the Indiana State Conference.  This is so comical to me because Wendy Stevens is SO approachable.  She balances her great wisdom with profound humility and no one should be scared to go talk to her. Yet, 7 years ago, I sure was.

So – conference or no conference – I do hope you feel emboldened today to reach out to someone in the profession and tell them their work has meant something to you.  It never hurts to tell a composer you love their piece.  It never hurts to tell an author their book helped you see something in a new light.  Sometimes we think these people must KNOW what their work means to the general public… but it’s just not true.  It’s never a bad idea to tell someone they’ve done their job well or made a difference.

That’s been my mission at conferences for the past many years.  Who can I track down and tell how much I love their work? Who can I get a picture with so I can show my students?

…and on that note, friends, I’m giving a toast to us – and to those in our profession who we admire:

Music teacher friends from all over the world, today we raise our glasses to the collective wisdom found in the music teaching profession.  Seriously. Who among us does not have incredible ideas?!  And, the more music teachers you know, the more opportunities you have to collect new ideas.  And we teach those ideas to our students, some of whom will go on to share them with THEIR students, and on and on the cycle goes.  It’s that concept of Legacy that I am absolutely OBSESSED with in our profession.  The honor of being a link in this chain is so satisfying.  And with that, I say, CHEERS TO ALL THE LINKS IN THE MUSIC TEACHER CHAIN.  May we continue sharing and inspiring and bettering the lives of our colleagues just by being there for them.  Here, here.

That’s episode 119, my friends!  A few quick announcements before we wrap up:

Our next round of Teachers Teaching Teachers (TTT) takes place on FRIDAY – March 31^st – at 11am.  If you’re interested in checking that out (or getting the video replay), check out the link in the shownotes to the Patreon Community. Entry is $6/month for that hour of sharing with other brilliant studio teachers.

Also coming up – a 2 HOUR Zoom Q+A to talk ALL THINGS teacher philosophy and life. Anyone who purchases my Studio Foundations Course before April 1^st will be invited to this special Zoom session to talk through the content together. Use code mtna20 to receive TWENTY DOLLARS off your course registration.  That makes the course $109 WITH a free 2-hour Zoom call on May 19^th.  109, by the way, is my favorite number.  I was only going to discount the course $15, but I’m a numbers nerd and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make it $109.  But that’s only until April 1^st!   Your course access never expires, so if you want in on that Zoom invite (and to save $20), I’d get in on that now.

Thanks, friends!  I think that’s it for now.  Onward and upward to YOUR next music teacher story!