Playing in a jazz ensemble differs significantly from being in an orchestra or concert band. Rather than being one of many players, you are part of a more intimate group of musicians who are very visible to the audience. One small section is often featured, or students have solos that take courage and confidence.

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending the SteelStacks High School Jazz Band Showcase in Bethlehem, PA. My husband and I went specifically to watch our son direct the North Penn Columbia Jazz Band, and I am so glad we did. Spending the afternoon watching high school musicians was an excellent diversion from the world’s woes, which have been causing me to feel entirely down in the past few weeks.

What I witnessed was heartwarming and uplifting. There were young people of all shapes, sizes, and skin tones. Their instrumental abilities were as varied as their numbers. Some ensembles were better than others, but one thing was evident in each one – JOY!

Be-bopping bodies and syncopated smiles kept time and looked on with admiration at their soloing friends. The finished solos were met with a discreet fist bump, head nod, or huge smile—each member supporting another. I found myself smiling widely.

Those few hours helped to renew my hope for humanity. These directors are not only fostering a love for jazz and the continuation of a truly American musical form, but they are also demonstrating that being part of something bigger than yourself and working toward a common goal can be satisfying and fun. Music is magical.

You can’t be great without the greatness of others. ~ Nick Sirianni

On Sunday, my hometown team, the Philadelphia Eagles, won the Super Bowl! What a great day for the city, especially after the tragic plane crash that happened there just over a week ago. We will be riding this “high” for a while.

Philadelphia sports fans are often portrayed as hooligans unsatisfied with their teams unless they make it to the playoffs and past the first round. We are passionate about our teams and players on and off the field. We want our teams and players to be their best whenever they take the field and support the Philadelphia community when they are not playing.
Over the last two weeks, the Eagles players and head coach have often been quoted in the media. The above quote attributed to Nick Sirianni got me thinking. Who makes me great?

I take great pride in my work as a teacher and feel successful in my job performance, but how did I achieve this “greatness?” Who is excellent around me that makes me great? Where do I even begin?

Over the years, many colleagues have mentored, inspired, and supported me in ways that have allowed me to grow as a teacher and hone my craft.

During my 39 years as an educator, I have had many principals. Some were great, others not so much. Under the leadership of those great ones, I flourished and came into my own. They prepared me for the years when leadership was lacking or overbearing. My current principal has made it difficult to decide when to retire because I enjoy my work so much under his leadership. I will at least make it an even 40 before I pull the plug.

The many students I have taught have made me who I am today. Each year, they pushed me to be the best I could be so I could offer them the best I had to give. Some were challenging, which was good because they forced me to seek new ways and kept me learning.

Of course, none of this could be possible without the love and support of my family. They have kept me grounded and lifted me, listened to me, and offered advice. I am only “great” because they surround me with greatness.

No one climbs the mountain alone or reaches the pinnacle of their career solo. Some people accompanying you on the journey may go unseen or remain in the shadows, but we must never get so “great” as to forget the greatness surrounding us. Who makes you great?

Go Birds!

Yesterday, the latest installment of  Modern Mrs. Darcy (a lifestyle blog for book lovers) arrived in my inbox.  The post was about the staff’s long-standing practice of gathering at winter’s midpoint “to share things – big or small – that are saving our (their) lives right now.” With its dark days and cold temperatures, winter can be brutal, and many people experience the doldrums. The post explained how they got this idea from Barbara Brown Taylor’s memoir, Leaving Church.  In it, Taylor describes how “once, when she was to speak at a gathering, her host gave her this instruction for her speaking topic: ‘Tell us what is saving your life right now.’ She said the genius of the question is that though most of us know exactly what’s killing us, it’s harder to name what’s saving us.”  What a great idea!

These past few weeks have been a bit overwhelming. With the current political climate, the horrific DC plane crash, and the devastating explosion/crash of a medical transport plane in my hometown of Philadelphia (in the section of the city in which I lived the first 30 years of my life), I have a whole list of things that are killing me. Still, the question in Modern Mrs. Darcy helped me flip the switch and focus on what is saving me right now.

These things hold me together and give me solace when I need a distraction from the heaviness of the winter world.

• Writing: I have been trying to rekindle a consistent writing habit using several online tools.
  • 100 Days of Notebooking (a Facebook group facilitated by Michele Haseltine) is a beginning-of-the-year challenge to journal for 100 days. Although I am not on pace to complete 100 notebook entries in 100 days, I enjoy reading, sharing, and gathering new ideas from this writing community.
  • #WriteWithUs Wednesdays – The Book Love Community (facilitated by Penny Kittle and Linda Rief) offers a live Zoom meeting every other Wednesday at 4:30 ET.  I have yet to make a live meeting, but a replay can be found on the website, and the sessions have given me food for thought and sparked some interesting writing. 
  • IAJW (International Association for Journal Writing) offers free monthly journal prompts
• Faith: In certain situations, my ability to make a real difference might be limited. That’s when I rely heavily on my faith and pump up my prayer life.  
• Music: Listening to music has always been an elixir for whatever ails me. My tastes vary depending on my mood. My favorites are jazz, warm and cozy acoustics, and music from the 1970s.
• Reading: Scrolling social media has taken a bite out of my reading life, but I am working on remedying that situation.  Reading can transport me to other times and places and give me a respite from anything in my life that is dragging me down. It often puts my worldly woes in perspective compared to problems others have overcome. 

How are you feeling at winter’s midpoint?  Are you focusing on what is killing you or what is saving your life? Why not try this practice on for size?  It may be what you need to propel you towards spring. 

Referenced sites: 

• Modern Mrs. Darcy https://modernmrsdarcy.com/
• 100 Days of Notebooking https://www.facebook.com/groups/100daysofnotebooking/
• International Association of Journal Writing https://iajw.org/
• Book Love Community https://book-love-community.mn.co/spaces/17199438/feed