I’ve been thinking about different ways to connect to younger players and, if I am being honest, ways to double-check if I am being an effective musician. I have all sorts of “tricks”, things to think of when I play, but I think the easiest thing to think of when starting out is “Are you SAYING something? What STORY are you telling?”. Look, correct notes at the correct time is obviously the first goal we have for our younger players, but how do we get them to start to reach beyond that goal post?

My trick? I ask them if they know what they want to say, what is the story they are telling through the music. Most often than not, when I start down this path with a new student, they look at me like I am crazy! What do you mean? I am not saying anything; I am playing notes on a page…and this opens the conversation up to feelings and connecting through music. Some students grasp the concept right away. Younger kids are often less inhibited or self-conscious and will jump right in with a story, but if they don’t, I ask the cliché…does this piece sound happy or sad? Does it change? From there, we can dive into how MOST pieces do not stay the same start to finish…maybe it starts happy and then turns sad…once they get past feeling intimidated because they are having to use their imaginations, we can dive into an actual story. If you close your eyes, what do you see? How many characters are there? Is there any part of this that is like a conversation? What do you think the dialog would be?

I can usually get them out of their own way by telling my own outrageous story. Once they know that the adult in the room is open to all sorts of ideas, they loosen up. It’s such a learning experience for ME to hear THEIR opinions on songs that I have played for years and years myself. I often find myself saying, “Oh gosh, I never thought of it that way…okay…play it so I feel that!” In a recent lesson, my student finished a phrase and immediately asked, “Did you feel anything?!?!!” I beamed with pride that they had a goal, were trying something, and were so invested in whether it worked or not! I love when I am able to get young musicians to look past the accuracy and start reaching for a deeper meaning when they pick up their instrument.

The next time you or a student find yourself stuck, playing through the notes but maybe not feeling inspired in your musical endeavor, take 5 minutes of your time and flush out a story. Play it, record it…change the story…play it again…record it…listen back and HEAR how two different stories can affect what your audience experiences, and then keep that experience in mind as you prepare new music in the future.