Like a lot of people these days, I find it much easier to wait for movies to be available on demand, but this year I jumped in and have seen a bunch of the major Oscar contenders. Which brings me to Whiplash. Dos Pulgares Arriba…Two Thumbs Up!

The movie had a strong personal connection for me since I have spent a lot of time teaching music and art to teens and kids. The question gets down to what method of teaching drives perfection and I am not sure there is an absolute answer. For most people in the world, perfection is not the goal and more importantly is not possible to achieve.

Our program at One River and the one we built at School of Rock drives an enhanced level of seriousness and rigor over time, but a key attribute for both is “having fun.” We believe in our ability to help turn on the fire so the “joy of doing” fuels practice, a sense of wonder and inevitably great skill development reflected in amazing outcomes.

The challenge at hand in Whiplash is simple. Once you make that leap to “go pro,” you are playing for keeps. Whether your goal is the symphony, showing your work at a museum or making it in sports for that matter, hard work is often the differentiator. To me, finding a great coach who will push you to limit AND care about your well-being will prevent whiplash.

Monday, February 16, 2015