I may live with the most positive kid ever!
V proclaims almost daily: “Best. Day. Ever.”
I’m not exaggerating. The smallest things can light her up.
She found a marker she had been missing. She remembered the “missing” lyric to a song. She went tobogganing and met a new friend. She figured out how to play a new piano piece hands together. She found the PERFECT stick on our walk. She made a card for someone. Outdoor recess after two days of rain. Mommy bought mangos at the grocery store.
No matter what goes on in a day, good or bad, she always ends the day with Best. Day. Ever.
How does she stay so positive? I mean, we are pretty positive people, but not every day, all of the time. I pray she holds onto this strength for as long as possible!
Children have a way of getting us to pause and reflect, don’t they?
V’s daily proclamation got me thinking about artistic learning and development.
Learning a new instrument, skill or technique can be difficult and frustrating at times. That’s because artistic learning IS NOT linear. It is not a straight trajectory from point A to point B.
There are days when you can feel like you are making little or no progress, then there are days where everything clicks and it feels easy and effortless. Some days are “best day ever” and some are not!
Even when a skill is seemingly “mastered”, there are days where it just doesn’t seem to work. The coordination is just not there. How annoying and frustrating!
Artistic development is like the waves of the ocean. There are days where the ocean is calm and clear and other days where the water is choppy and murky. The tide comes in and out. But you can be sure that with a consistent daily practice, the tide will eventually recede and your big wave of progress will come crashing onto the shore. Patience and consistency, my friend.
Mastery looks different in arts education. It’s not the same as mathematics.
As frustrating as it is at times, it’s part of being human. Artistic learning is interconnected with our entire being. The level of brain, body and emotional coordination and connectedness that is required for music and artistic development is tremendous.
Our artistic development is deeply affected by our emotions, moods, how rested we are, external stresses and our ability to be present in the moment.
Artistic learning involves the ENTIRE body, mind and spirit working together in harmony.
Because so many factors influence our progress (and how you define progress is entirely up to you!), I encourage you to look for the ONE thing or ONE moment that made this particular practice session or this particular lesson or this particular performance: THE BEST DAY EVER!
It can be small, but may it light you up.
The moment is there, you just need to look for it and declare it. Parents, help your child look for these moments and celebrate them – on the easy days AND the hard days.
This positive focus will have a ripple effect on your learning and your belief in yourself. You can do hard things and acknowledging these moments will have a beautiful effect on your confidence, skill, motivation and overall well-being!
The key to Vera’s positivity? She’s looking for and celebrating the best moments of her day!
What moment of today made it the best day ever? Send me a message and let me know.
Keep Singing,
Andrea “best day ever” Donais