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FLORIDA MUSIC SUPERVISION ASSOCIATION Lindsey R. Williams, PhD, President

s we approach autumn, the promise of a new beginning is a fascinating prospect. We have experienced much over the past year both educationally and culturally. I have felt empowered and hopeful at times and helpless and despondent at others. This dichotomic existence cued me to spend some time reflecting on what I’ve learned from the many meaningful people who have been a part of my journey to today. It also inspired me to revisit one of my favorite books, The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. I have read this book at various points of my life, and I know I can count on it both to motivate me and, perhaps more importantly, remind me of the control I have over how I experience this wonky journey called life.

One exercise that Zander & Zander (2002) recommend is that you start from a place of giving everyone an A. Some may blanche at the thought of “giving” something rather than making the students “earn” it, but if you can think a bit more abstractly, you may see the expectations that are inherent in this thought process. “When you give an A, you find yourself speaking to people not from a place of measuring how they stack up against your standards, but from a place of respect that gives them room to realize themselves” (Zander & Zander, 2002, p. 26). For example, articulate what a successful year looks like for your third-graders or your treble chorus, your intermediate orchestra, or your advanced jazz ensemble. Have you envisioned what this year will be like in the most fantastic and amazing ways? Have your students? Have you and your students shared these expectations? Are these expectations focused explicitly on individual skill development or on group accomplishment? How does the social aspect of the classroom fit into these expectations? We all can feel unheard or undervalued, and our students can feel this way as well. If we purposefully act from a nurturing perspective, “[a]n A is not an expectation to live up to, but a possibility to live in to” (p. 26). Let’s give all our students—and ourselves—this gift of promise for this year. Another lovely passage from The Art of Possibility that illuminated this mindset for me is “Being present to the way things are is not the same as accepting things as they are.” We can choose how we proceed. In doing so, we can treat others in a way that we would like to be treated— with respect and kindness— while striving to help them understand our perspective. One of my dear friends, Dr. Charles Robinson, taught me to be “direct and polite.” Truly words to live by.

Anyone who has spent any time with

me has heard me say I’m “living the dream.” It has become a mantra of sorts for expecting to live the life I want to live. I am fascinated by the responses I get as I usually say this with enthusiasm. Responses range from laughter to sarcastic comments to confusion to near-angry references to “nightmares.” My life is not without challenges, but it’s certainly fascinating and illuminating. I get to be a husband and a dad. I get to be a friend and a mentor. I get to work with teachers and students to help them realize the possibilities inherent in the arts. How cool is that?! One of my mentors, Clifford Madsen, frequently states that “the best predictor of future behavior is present and past behaviors.” An important aspect of this statement, beyond its accuracy, is that present and past behaviors are not a guarantee of what will happen, but a strong predictor. This means that if we are purposeful and thoughtful with our present behaviors, they become our past behaviors, which strongly predicts how we will act. We are not victims when we choose how we act; we are rewriting our future. Imagine how much this can Rosamund Stone Zander impact our interactions with our students. Now imagine if we continue to model and teach our students abilities to choose how they act rather than reacting. This is how the world changes—for the better. I encourage us all to delve into how we each choose to respond to the world around us. Let’s change the narrative for this year. Let’s teach our students to expect to grow and flourish and to be amazing. Let’s expect to be musically astonished!

Benjamin Zander

Reference

Zander, R. S., & Zander, B. (2002). The art of possibility. Penguin Books.