Prior to starting, you should know that at the end of this newsletter there will be a salient, well thought out point, but I may force you to wander with me while I get to it. Think of this newsletter like shopping at IKEA... You're forced to pass by stuff you don't want to get to the stuff you do. Except, unlike IKEA, I have assembled this newsletter for you. You're welcome!
Warren Beatty, Tinder, and Music Education
Yesterday, I did a churn and burn.
Stop that! Get your mind out of the gutter. A churn and burn is when you fly there, speak, and fly home all in the same day.
For those of you having enough common sense to choose a profession not involving body scans and living out of a backpack, you might think a 20 hour marathon to be painful, whereas I call it delightful. A churn and burn means I can start AND end the day in the same bed. ANNNNDDDD, that bed is MINE. BOOOYAHHH!
Call Warren Beatty and tell him we have another WINNER and that winner is ME! (Come on, you knew an Oscar joke was coming, right?)
Flying is like Tinder (no, I will not hyperlink that) except at 35,000 feet, and you can't swipe right! Seriously, my airline could be a dating service, except the American Airlines app never seems to take my "must-haves" into account and won't let me choose my seat mate by swiping right ot left.
Like a first date, a plane ride forces you to often spend hours in close proximity with someone you barely know, making small-talk, pretending to be interested, all the while just wondering, "How much longer am I going to have to endure this?"
On my outbound morning flight today, a young gentlemen sat next to me and the first thing out of his mouth was, "Can I tell you about an exciting opportunity for you to sell vitamins and home security systems?"
Ummmmm, SWIPE LEFT.
My late night return flight was a different story, however. A middle-aged bearded man dressed in hiking clothes and a down vest sat next to me and we struck up a conversation. He shared with me that he was venture capitalist. He was well spoken, thoughtful, and articulate.
SWIPE RIGHT
As we exchanged our views on world politics and the state of the economy, he mentioned that the industries that can adapt and change with the times are those that he prefers to fund. He called them "resilient economic development opportunities." I was fascinated not only by the concept but the context of the conversation.
To my way of thinking, music education is a "resilient educational development opportunity" (TM). (You can't steal that, I just trademarked it!)
Music in our schools has stood the test of time for over fifty years and was one of the few non-curricular activities to survive NLCB, the 2008 economic meltdown, and the demanding world of high stakes testing and academic accountability. In recent years, student enrollment has grown and music was even recognized by our government as a core component of a well rounded education. For many music businesses, profits are up and unemployment in music education is down.
Listen, I'm not saying that all is perfect in our world, because it's NOT! But, keep in mind when it comes to MANY other school and non-school related activities, the kids and the community swiped left. But when it came time for music, they...
SWIPED RIGHT!
Now, if someone could explain to me why IKEA can't use bolts and screws like everyone else!
Have a great week everyone!