Episode 201: Cheers to Overcoming the Fast-Track

What follows is a rough-edit of the episode, so please forgive typos and/or formatting errors.

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Hello there, studio teacher friends!  Christina Whitlock here… your Self-Appointed ANYTIME piano teacher friend.  This – the Beyond Measure Podcast – exists to encourage and challenge studio music teachers as we grow together in the important work we do.

I’m kicking off a special series of episodes today, all focused on understanding our 21st-century desire to fast-track EVERYTHING.  I’m pretty amped up about this. I think there are some DEFINITE lessons to be learned over the course of the next several weeks over here in Beyond Measure Land, and I hope you will consider sharing these episodes with Teacher Friends of your own.

With all that said, friends, let’s get on with the show:

First things first, I’m excited to announce the RETURN of Teacher Friend of the Week.  If you recall, I started celebrating various members of the Beyond Measure Community here last January, but I took a break for the summer and somehow neglected to resume that segment this fall.

One of the underlying premises of this show is the fact that we have SO MUCH to learn from one another, so I’m delighted to play a part in sharing the wisdom of my Teacher Friends here on the podcast.

Okay. As I mentioned a moment ago, today’s episode is going to serve as an introduction to a series of episodes I’ll be releasing over the next few weeks. The more I study trends in our profession (and in the world around us), the more problems I see related to the 21st century obsession with getting things done as QUICKLY and as EFFICIENTLY as possible.

Let it be known…I’m a big fan of efficiency.  And I certainly don’t want to waste time.  I’m sure each of us – given the option – would rather accomplish tasks as quickly as possible, right?

Music teachers know this better than ANYONE.  

Our students often come to us wanting the “quick fix”, right? How many minutes of our lives have been spent explaining to students how there are no shortcuts?  Learning an instrument is a series of small steps… explorations… trials and errors. 

Sometimes we roll our eyes and get tired of students who want to skip the work and skip to the part where they’re awesome, right?  We know that’s not how it works, and, honestly, some of us get annoyed by people who expect us to give them the easy way out.

We know better. Right?  😊  There’s no amount of talent or practice hacks that will replace time and attention at the instrument.

Well, friends… I hate to break it to you, but this desire to fast-track everything is a part of the 21st century human condition and we are as guilty as anyone. I’m calling us ALL out right now:  We are not immune to this desire to bypass the long, hard work and allow someone to sell us the quick fix.

And – to be honest – it’s something that is WEARING ME OUT these days.

I’ve talked many times here over the years about how the REAL lesson of education is in the process itself.

When my high school students start complaining about their math classes – how they’re never going to use those fomulas in their real life – I remind them that math class is helping them learn how to think through a process.  How to apply principles to different situations.  It’s so much MORE about the brainwork than the actual calculation.  

Music lessons are the same thing. We don’t teach our students these pieces so they can ONLY play those pieces; we’re helping them learn A PROCESS for learning whatever their heart desires in the future.

Well, friends…. Like I said, we are not immune to the allure of the fast-track.  

We are sold the quick-fix to just about everything these days.  We have services that will plan our meals, choose our clothing for you, clean our houses, do our yardwork, plan our vacations, automate our bill pay, occupy our children, recommend our next Netflix series… all so we can do… what?  Spend more time figuring out how to optimize MORE of our lives?

We live in a time of unprecedented convenience… but we’re not exactly out enjoying our lives like never before, are we?  Far from it: we feel busier than ever because we’re all expected to be getting SO MUCH MORE done.

Yes, I realize this is an especially American problem.  We are the poster nation for Hustle Culture.  But I have to imagine even those out you living outside The States understand the increasing pressure to SAVE TIME doing all the things.

Now – before you think you’ve tuned into the wrong podcast – allow me to bring us back to how this applies as studio music teachers.

Just like our students want a “quick fix” to mastering their instrument… I notice more and more teachers being sold on a dream that they can “fast-track” their growth as teachers.

And I’m devoting the next few weeks here at Beyond Measure to this disappointing truth, friends:  Becoming a successful teacher is a lifelong journey of thought, work, and effort, much like learning to play our instruments. 

The path to becoming a great teacher is a series of small steps… explorations… trials and errors.

And the GOOD news is:  YES; there ARE people out there who can help you do this work more effectively, and even more efficiently. I’ve long contended WE are one another’s greatest asset in this profession. 

OBVIOUSLY I believe in the power of helping one another through MusicTeacherLife – otherwise, what the heck have I been doing here for 201 episodes? 😊

But I see it like this:  I often hear older generations complaining about first-time home-buyers.  The criticism is that younger generations expect to begin their lives in homes that are like their parents’.  Spacious, updated, and beautiful.  When, in fact, the older generation had to work their way up to that kind of home.  They paid their dues, living in smaller, dated homes, until they could afford the upgrades.

I’m not here to criticize up-and-coming generations.  In fact, I’m pretty impressed with them and I don’t think we get anywhere by throwing tomatoes at them.

BUT:  this is kind of a thing.  As teachers, we can’t help but look at those who have been successful in this work and want what they have.  And – furthermore – sometimes we kind of EXPECT to have what they have.

We fail to see the journey that brought them to where they are, and the lessons they had to learn to get there.

I’ve been teaching for almost 30 years now, and when I reflect on my career thus far, it’s clear: one of my greatest gifts was the fact that I started out teaching in a small town, at a very early age, and I didn’t have the Internet to tell me all the ways I was doing it wrong. I had no clue what our profession was “supposed to” look like. The only comparison I had, at least at first, was my childhood piano teacher, who was just out of college herself.

I wasn’t a great teacher in those days.  But I learned. 

There’s a real freedom in being a 14-year-old piano teacher because no one expected me to have it all figured out. Parents were simply happy to have SOMEONE to help guide their kids in music. 

This is one of the reasons I’m so passionate about mentoring high school pianists in pedagogy.  Yes, they have so much to learn… but there is never a better time to start, because it is OBVIOUS to all parties involved that young teachers are NEW to this.  

We ALL know that experience is the best teacher.  Pedagogy courses ARE valuable.  Increasing your understanding of Business and Marketing Principles IS valuable.  But there is a core element of teaching that just comes with time and careful attention to doing better.

Over the next few weeks, I hope to shed some light on how our obsession with the Quick Fix is robbing us – as teachers – of valuable lessons in our work, not to mention ACTUAL DOLLARS. 

This is not a criticism of the people out there earnestly trying to help music teachers run legitimate businesses.  I am SO GRATEFUL for the network of support we have available to us, and we have some mind-blowingly-brilliant people out there creating resources to help us grow.

I just want to help you make peace with the fact that some of these lessons take time, AND THAT’S OKAY. I want you to enjoy the process of figuring out how your students learn and how to communicate with their families in the best possible way. I want you to be excited about the ideas YOU have, rather than assuming someone else has already figured it out in a better way. 

So, friends, that’s what we’re doing for the next few weeks.  We’re starting off strong next week by looking at Coaching Programs and other educational opportunities available to us as teachers.  I’m going to help you build some criteria for how to know when it’s worth it and when it is not.

I think an objective look at these programs is important in our line of work today, so even though it’s a little off-the-beaten-path for my usual vibe here at Beyond Measure, I’m excited to bring you what I believe are some valuable insights.

Phew. Okay, friends.  I’m going to offer up a quick toast, and THEN we’ll celebrate our Teacher Friend of the Week.  Grab the nearest glass, because here we go!

Studio teacher friends from all around the world, today we raise our glasses together in celebration of knowing better and doing better.  We have ALL fallen into the trap of 21st century convenience more than a few times, I’m sure. May we all be continually mindful of what aspects of life benefit from optimization, and which are better taken slowly.  Cheers to us, and the meaningful lives we all pursue.  Here, here.

Today’s TEACHER FRIEND OF THE WEEK is the fabulous Victoria Pine.  Victoria Pine is a longtime Patreon Supporter of mine and she once sent me one of my very favorite emails ever.  She was replying to one of my One Thought Thursday e-letters where I asked readers to reply with something that surprised them in the world of music education.  Victoria wrote me this response:  She said, “YOU are my greatest surprise. I love your honestly and bravery to say hard things. My first listen to you I wasn’t a fan because I was looking to fill myself with more concert pianists and classical teachers, but YOU surprised me. I kept listening to you and dropped my EGO and found you saying all the things I needed as a teacher and business person. You are delightful and approachable. You are knowledgeable and positive and articulate.”

Now… obviously, I love the kind words Victoria said about me… but I love this email for even deeper reasons than that.  The story Victoria tells about how she THOUGHT she needed one thing, but found herself learning more from something else entirely, is a sentiment that resonates deeply in me.

…and it feels like such a fitting wrap-up on today’s conversation.  We live in a time where we can pick and choose our own paths of education… but sometimes the thing we REALLY need is not on our own personal radar at all.

So, CHEERS to Victoria Pine and the fact that remaining OPEN to new ideas is the surest path to growth we will find.

And – on a personal note – thanks to Victoria for her generous support through the Patreon Community.  If you would like to show YOUR support for the work I do here, you can join the community at ChristinaWhitlock.com/support. Who knows?  Maybe you’ll end up hearing your OWN name here one day as Teacher Friend of the Week.  😊 

Let’s stay in touch throughout the week, friends!  Be sure to follow BeyondMeasurePodcast on Facebook and Instagram, and make sure you’re on the email list to receive my weekly Piano Teacher Confession.  Links to all this and more can be found in today’s shownotes at ChristinaWhitlock.com/episode201.

Onward and upward, my friends!