As I write this article, we are about two hours from the start of the World Cup match between the United States and Iran.

(Spoiler alert - USA dominated and won 1-0)

Now, I like me some soccer, and I played all through my childhood and into high school. And I LOVE me some Ted Lasso, so it's a safe bet that I will have one eye on the T.V. during and after the match.

After you say? Why, yes.

Because the fans of the Japanese World Cup team have started a post-game celebration that is catching on. One of cleaning.

Japanese fans went viral for cleaning up after a World Cup victory. Fans from other countries are following their example.

In an article in the New York Times, Andrew Keh noted that, "After the final whistle blew on Sunday afternoon, the Japanese fans who had just spent hours bouncing under a blistering midday sun allowed themselves a moment to wallow in the disappointment of their team's 1-0 loss to Costa Rica."

But the moment quickly passed, and out came the blue trash bags as a group of Japanese spectators, who only moments earlier had been deliriously singing for their team, began meticulously cleaning the stands at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, picking up trash scattered across the rows of seats around them."

It hardly mattered what it was — and they didn't just pick up their trash; they picked up refuse left by others. "It's a sign of respect for a place, said Eiji Hattori, 32, a fan from Tokyo, who had a bag of bottles, ticket stubs, and other stadium detritus. This place is not ours, so we should clean up if we use it. And, even if it is not our garbage, it's still dirty, so we should clean it up."

Videos and pictures of the Japanese cleaning sessions have gone viral on social media. But it's not just fans sharing them. Last week, FIFA posted a picture of the Japanese team's locker room after its enormous upset victory over Germany. The room was — you guessed it — spotless.

"For Japanese people, this is just a normal thing to do," said Hajime Moriyasu, the coach of the Japanese team. "When you leave a place, you have to leave it cleaner than it was before."

This post-game cleansing ritual has caught on with other fans, including the U.S., where sports are just as revered, but cleanliness is not.

Recently, as a part of a father/son tradition, my son and I went to see the Buffalo Bills play (we went to the game relocated to Detroit by an epic snowstorm).

At the end of the game, the place was a huge mess. I started to gather not just our trash, but as much around us as I could hold. My son asked, "Why are you grabbing other people's trash? They have people who clean the stadium."

I responded, "We don't expect others to clean up after us."

He began gathering as much trash as he could hold, and we climbed a gazillion steps to the nearest refuse bin, where we unloaded our bounty.

This was not a huge decision or a moment of consciousness. This was not an empty gesture or teaching moment for my son. This was just a habit.

Where did I learn this ritual and develop this habit? Not from my parents (although I am sure that my parents reminded me to pick up after myself often), the lesson took hold as a music student and teacher.

Honestly, my earliest memory of this behavior was from a Dr. Tim seminar. Now I can't walk by a piece of trash or an unflushed toilet and not pick it up and flush it. I know I am not alone in this. regardless where you first heard it, we have ALL heard (and said) it.

Always leave the place cleaner than you found it.

This is among the many universal cries of all music teachers. After rehearsal, on the field, in a bus, and on stage, you always hear the same refrain, "Everybody grab something, and leave the place cleaner than you found it."

This is one of the many non-musical characteristics your students learn from you every day. Show up on time, be respectful, kind, and tolerant. Putting others before yourself, working hard, and striving for excellence are just a few of the many everyday life lessons taught in music rooms on a daily basis. These lessons not only make for a better musical ensemble, they also make for a better person.

I am not surprised the act of decency displayed by the Japanese team and their fans; it's classy and elegant. Nor am I surprised by the snowball effect, however small, it's having.

I am just surprised it took them this long to learn it. Music teachers have been singing that song for decades.

Have a great week everyone.

Scott