"Learning Music… and Learning to Teach It"
Today I had a moment of understanding after our mentorship class.
It was one of those small but meaningful realizations that suddenly makes everything connect.
I spend a great deal of time thinking about how I can help each one of my students in their music journey. Because for me, this mentorship program has become something deeper than simply learning piano.
It has become two journeys happening at the same time.
On one hand, I am learning for myself — developing my own understanding of music, improving my playing, and expanding my perspective.
But on the other hand, I am also learning something equally valuable: how to teach music.
And that is a gift I didn’t fully expect when I started.
Every mentorship class gives me takeaways that I can bring not only into my own playing, but also into the way I support others in their musical growth. It helps me think differently about how music is learned, how it is shared, and how we can encourage others along the way.
Because of that, the mentorship class has become the most important thing for me to keep up with each week.
There is always something new to discover.
A new idea.
A new perspective.
A new way of hearing music.
I often find myself thinking how fortunate we all are to have this opportunity — and how lucky we are that Stephen found Madison.
Madison has such a deep knowledge of music, especially the older songs that many of us grew up with and love. Those songs carry history, emotion, and familiarity, and it’s beautiful to see them brought to life again in our classes.
And I have to admit something that made me smile.
Looking around our mentorship group, I sometimes notice that many of us could easily be Madison’s parents! Yet here we are, learning from her, sharing music, and continuing to grow.
That’s part of what makes this community so special.
Music doesn’t belong to one generation.
It belongs to all of us.
And every week in mentorship, we get to rediscover that together.
With gratitude,
Susan O'Crowley
