Lessons From the Students
Occupation is one of the pleasures of paradise, and we cannot be happy without it."
--Anna Jameson,
Irish art historian
Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Iowa All-State Music Festival at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. My son was selected this year for the band (No more bragging, I promise!)
The concert was about three 
hours long and featured symphony, chorus, and band. On several selections there were combinations of two of the three that were very impressive. I found myself sitting there considering two questions:
1. How did these young people (freshmen through seniors) get so good so quickly?
2. How do they play together so well after only having met one another the day before?
So I asked my son.
How Did They Learn So Quickly?
So how did these students become so proficient at such a young age? I think there are a few factors at play.
1. These students are undoubtedly gifted from the start but that can only carry you so far. They no doubt were nurtured and groomed by caring instructors, mentors, other students, parents, siblings, etc.
• Think about what you are doing to develop and keep top talent motivated.
2. These are the top musicians in the state and were carefully selected after a very rigorous audition process held at only four audition sites across the entire state.
• Think about how rigorous your selection process is for the people you are bringing onto your team.
3. These young people have a passion for what they do and are driven to succeed at it. The quote above is likely how many of these students would describe their experience with music. They identify themselves with their music. They practice countless hours and have tremendous work ethics. Most could probably not go a day without some sort of involvement with it. It is what they love.
• Think about the passion your people have for their work and how you may be impacting that positively or negatively.
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