We like to think that our progress and development is more linear than may be the case. I see progress where sometimes a pupil doesn’t. In fact, this week a student I was teaching, felt she was going backwards. She sounded almost as if she was, to some extent, in crisis. Perception is a thing that needs closely looking at. What we see, because we inhabit our own world and thoughts, our vision and dreams that we hold dear, and may never even express to anyone, and what another sees, can be very different.
As we travel along the cello road, there are and will always be bumps,
zig-zags and moments when we feel nothing is happening, or more likely, that things are falling apart. I know for myself as a cellist, and as a teacher, that when things appear to be coming apart, new or more developed aspects are making their presence known.
We often have to do a swap to forge ahead. If you are working on a particular thing, something goes “wrong” that surprises us. One thing often makes way for another to step forward. As we refine our technique, become more experienced and confident in the idea of process, we manage bumps in the road with greater ease. We have gained the wisdom to allow ourselves to learn. It’s the only way forward and won’t ever change.
The student who felt emotional and that everything was falling apart,
to me, actually sounded more the cellist she is in a process of becoming. Her sound is deeper, more focussed and more her own. She is more rhythmic and this factor alone changes our gear so much as our co-ordination increases with this dynamic to the fore in our thoughts and actions.
So never give up. Push through and also enjoy the journey. It will inform your future.