One of the most profound lessons about music and teaching comes from a story pianist Herbie Hancock often tells about performing with Miles Davis.
In the interview, Hancock recalls a moment during a performance when he played what he believed was the wrong chord while Davis was soloing. Hancock describes the chord as sounding completely wrong and as a clear mistake in the middle of the performance. In that instant, he feared he had disrupted the music.
Rather than reacting negatively, however, Davis paused briefly and then played something that made Hancock’s chord sound intentional and beautiful. What Hancock initially heard as an error suddenly became part of the musical landscape.
Reflecting on that moment years later, Hancock realized something important: Miles Davis did not hear the chord as a mistake. He heard it simply as something that happened in the moment. Because Davis accepted it as part of the musical reality unfolding around him, he felt responsible for responding creatively rather than rejecting it.
For Hancock, this became a lesson far greater than music itself. He understood that growth requires openness and an ability to accept situations as they are rather than only as we wish them to be. He described it as learning how to “turn poison into medicine”: taking unexpected circumstances and creating something constructive from them.
When I first heard this interview, I realized Hancock’s lesson speaks directly to teaching as much as it speaks to jazz.
In jazz, musicians often begin with a shared understanding of the harmonic structure identified by the chord changes of a tune they rehearse and discuss. When Hancock played the unexpected chord, he was still responding within this harmonic framework.
Yet jazz has always allowed room for spontaneity. Musicians bring their experiences, influences, and musical identities into performance spaces. A player with deep musical roots in Latin, gospel, blues, or classical may naturally reveal those influences when improvising. Sometimes it is intentional, and sometimes it occurs unconsciously. Regardless, jazz depends upon musicians listening closely enough to recognize what is happening in real time and reacting to create something special.
This is what made the moment so fascinating. Davis could have ignored Hancock’s chord and continued playing within the original changes. Instead, he listened, and the music changed. The unexpected chord became part of the performance’s reality, and Davis chose to respond to it rather than resist it.
This speaks to the role of educators as well. Teachers, like musicians, enter schools with plans and ideas about how to teach and engage students. We develop lesson objectives, classroom management strategies, approaches to student discipline, instructional methodology, and activities designed to guide learning. Just as chord changes provide direction for the musician, our prep work and plans provide direction and are essential to be an effective educator and provide quality instruction.
But schools, like performances, are living environments. Students bring their own experiences, perspectives, emotions, and realities with them. Sometimes they align perfectly with our plans, and other times they do not.
The challenge for educators is learning when to continue with our plan and when to listen closely enough to recognize when there is an opportunity to make something special from something that was unexpected.
This does not mean abandoning preparation or constantly changing lessons. Effective teaching still requires structure, intention, and clarity. However, within that structure, there must be an awareness that unexpected moments may arise and not everything can be anticipated in advance.
A student’s unexpected outburst, question, interpretation, misunderstanding, or even unique insight may initially feel like a disruption to the lesson, yet much like Hancock’s “wrong” chord, those moments can become opportunities for deeper understanding if we are willing to listen and respond constructively.
Great educators do what Miles Davis did in that performance: they acknowledge the moment, gather themselves, and adapt in ways that support student growth. These educators are careful not to take unexpected circumstances as personal attacks, although they can sometimes feel that way. They also avoid allowing anger to become the driving force behind their responses.
You may imagine many classroom and instructional moments where this could be applied, but here is an example of a non-instructional “wrong chord.”
One morning during first period, a teacher noticed a student roaming the hallway instead of being in class. When asked where they were supposed to be, the student, who was clearly upset, snapped back, “None of your darned business.” The teacher, feeling disrespected, could have responded with anger, which may have escalated the situation. Instead, the teacher chose to remain calm. “I’m sorry you’re having a tough morning,” the teacher said. “Please don’t speak to me that way. I am here to help. Let’s get to class and let me know how I can help.” The student, taken aback by the calm response, admitted they were angry because someone had stolen their book. The teacher reassured the student that the situation would be handled appropriately while also stating the importance of not directing anger toward others, possibly making their circumstances worse.
In this moment, the teacher redirected what could have resulted in gross insubordination from the student into a constructive conversation. Of course, the student could have continued to respond disrespectfully. In that case, there are procedures and protocols in place to address such behavior. Even when disciplinary action is warranted, teachers are encouraged to remain calm. Escalating situations with displays of anger serve little purpose.
Although this outcome may not have been what the teacher initially expected, it was nevertheless constructive. By responding calmly and guiding the interaction, the teacher contributed to the student’s growth rather than creating additional “wrong chords.”
Just as in jazz, leadership outside the classroom involves guiding the “music” toward a productive direction. In both settings, awareness, composure, and responsiveness also help to shape outcomes.
Educators can take what initially appears to be a mistake and transform it into something productive. Success is not always found in flawlessly following a plan, but it can also be found in our ability to remain aware, responsive, and committed to service. Whether serving the music or serving our students, that commitment allows us to make the changes a particular moment may require rather than reacting emotionally or firmly adhering to our original plans. Our goal is not to eliminate every wrong chord from the classroom, but to respond in ways that help students grow when those chords inevitably occur. In doing so, we create learning experiences that not only strengthen the lesson itself but also honor and enrich the educational journey of our students.
Dr. Roosevelt Griffin is a member of the Jazz Education Network Education Committee. JazzEdNet.org