I love watching cooking shows. One of my favorites was a documentary called “The Chef Show” that featured actor, director, and aspiring chef Jon Favreau and renowned chef Roy Choi.
Jon Favreau is chopping some onions or making some stock, or something mundane, and he asks, “are there any shortcuts?”
Choi responds, “If you cook with shortcuts, it will taste like shortcuts.”
Wow! I will never forget this. In fact, I immediately thought about how this could help me in my job. I may not be cutting onions in class (no jokes about tears, please!), but noticed that when I took the time to really work at something, we usually got great results. When I cut corners, however, I might get lucky occasionally, but those shortcuts were often obvious.
As you start the school year, consider not taking any shortcuts in the following areas:
Have The Tough Conversation
The shortcut? Avoiding difficult conversations. But these often sneak up down the read!
Facing tough situations directly not only resolves them more effectively, but also prevents lingering stress that comes from avoidance.
A challenging conversation today can save weeks of underlying tension. In my book “Harmonizing Ethics and Education,” my co-authors and I don’t promise to eliminate stress; rather, we provide techniques that can help you manage conflict so that instead of ruining an entire week or more, it’ll only ruin a few hours.
Think about things that loom in the back of your mind. Maybe it’s a tough situation with a colleague or administrator, posting audition results, or working through a challenging section of the music. These are often the things we want to avoid, want others to do for us, or even just hope that they work themselves out. But deep down, we understand the actions we want to avoid are necessary.
If you work with people, there will always be some stress involved. Why not choose a shorter burst of intense stress (that measures a 6 out of 10) that lasts a few hours to a day instead of dealing with a low-grade level of stress (maybe a 3 or 4) that lasts several weeks or even months. Think about the times you had an argument with someone that led to more understanding and even brought you closer to someone.
Study Your Score
The shortcut? Learn the score on the podium! After all, you only have to be a step ahead of the kids, right?
But what if we immersed ourselves in as much of that score as possible and understood what the students are truly doing and what the composer truly intends?
I worked with one of my student teachers recently on shortcuts — or rather, not taking them. We always start with score prep. For us, it’s taking the score and playing every single part on the piano. That’s what I said. Every. Single. Part. And do it three times. What does that mean? For a band score, we start with the flute or piccolo part, and we play the whole part on piano. Then we move to flute two and do the same thing. Then we go to oboe, and so on.
Then we do it again. And then one more time.
Does it get boring and mundane? Absolutely! By the end of this laborious process, we have spent so much time with the score — even specific parts of the score — that our understanding of it, the intricacies of why it was written that way, and our ability to detect errors and suggest solutions has become much more efficient than simply figuring it out on the go.
Talk To Your Kids About Instrument Maintenance
The shortcut? Say it once and hope it works out!
However, if we continue to drive home that our instruments need routine care and maintenance (label up on those cases before you open them, and oil those valves regularly!), even into high school, we can make sure our instruments are always in working condition. We can also save some money on those costly repairs by doing routine maintenance instead of waiting for things to break.
Best- and Worse-Case Scenarios
Addressing common shortcuts directly, such as avoiding conflict or neglecting detailed score preparation, illustrates potential pitfalls. Best-case scenarios might offer temporary relief, but worst-case scenarios can lead to significant setbacks. The aim is to encourage a mindset that seeks thoroughness and dedication, recognizing the long-term benefits over the fleeting allure of shortcuts.
Conflict with students, teachers, parents, and administrators: avoiding it
Best case scenario? Things may just work themselves out. Worst case scenario? The entire student population and coworkers stage a coup and you’re out.
Not learning your score or planning for your classroom.
See above. This is one of the items we can control daily!
Not speaking to students regularly about instrument maintenance or vocal care.
Higher repair costs, non-participation in class and injured voices.
Not double checking the itineraries before they go out.
Missed call times, loss of trust (in one case, I know of a director who showed up to a college with his band for a clinic on the wrong day. Two years in a row!).
Saying you don’t have time to address something.
Spending even more time and resources to fix the issue and other issues that arose from not addressing the original issue.
Does it Get Easier?
Yes! Spending more time on a process makes it more enjoyable and improves your skills. Just like cutting onions becomes easier with practice, taking the time to avoid shortcuts at the start helps you in the long run. While some may seem naturally gifted, most people achieve results through hard work.
Putting in extra effort can reveal shortcuts and efficient methods. For example, playing through pieces by a specific composer can help you understand their style, making it easier to play without worrying about transpositions. Additionally, confirming details like bus schedules in advance saves stress later.
By embracing a “no-shortcuts” approach, we not only enhance our skills and resolve conflicts more effectively but also find deeper satisfaction. The long road might be demanding, but it’s undeniably rewarding.
MusicAchievementCouncil.org
Don Stinson is the band director at Joliet Central High School in Joliet, IL, the founder of Legacy Fine Arts Inc., the co-author of Harmonizing Ethics and Education and the author of High Needs, Monumental Successes: Teaching Music to Low-Income and Underserved Students.
