Say Yes!

In my recent posts, I shared my doubts about identifying as a musician and a poet. But there is one identity I can wholly claim that I’ve never felt a sliver of doubt about: I am a teacher. A teacher who uses music as the vehicle to both bring a community together and to integrate the body/heart/mind community that lives inside each person. One sign that “this is what I was born for” is the way I say “Yes!” without hesitation to every invitation I’ve ever received to work with a group of people. Including groups of people that I’ve never worked with before. I just step boldly forward in confidence that whatever I’ve done in my lifetime practice of teaching children in school music classes will connect with any group of people. 

 

I don’t exactly put myself in harm’s way like a soldier, but I do put myself in failure’s way, vulnerable to the possibility that things won’t work the way I’m used to. But never once— not a single time— have I regretted my impulsive “Yes! I’ll do it!”

 

I’m talking here about a broad spectrum of humanity—nationalities, ages, professions, abilities. I’ve worked with a Mime Troup in rural Maine, Zen monks in California, Community Food Store Workers, Apple Computer Systems managers, modern dancers, P.E. teachers, therapists, prisoners, mothers and babies, the elderly, music Conservatory students. I’ve led workshops at family reunions, teacher credential programs, school staff retreats, my own Men’s Group. I’ve worked with 80 preschoolers and a translator in Taiwan, deaf children in Japan, special education children in Scotland, jazz musicians in Iceland. I taught dozens of courses in Spain over the course of 20 years, all in Spanish, a language I barely spoke when I started and mostly learned by teaching these courses!

 

One of my most challenging trips was a few weeks of teaching in South Africa. Besides the usual Orff workshop with participants from four ethnic groups who historically were at odds with each other (Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, British), I simply awoke each day and went where my organizers led me. Which included working with 60 elementary kids in the township of Soweto, followed by 100 high school students, followed by a professional choir. All of that the same day! Then on to other venues in the next week that included a college jazz band, a middle school Steel Drum group, an elementary math class, a preschool, a gumboot dance troupe. They were really stretching the outer limits of my teaching skills! Happy to report I came through it all still standing and with my dignity intact. 

 

Now I’m applying the same “Yes! I’ll do it!” to my role as a piano player. I’ve already mentioned my new habit of actively seeking out jazz jam sessions in places I travel to and am also expanding beyond the Jewish Home for the Aged and offering my services (or being invited to) many such places— not only four or five in the Bay Area, but a few I’ve done in Michigan, Toronto, Salzburg, Switzerland. This past week alone, I’ve said “Yes!” to performing at a House Concert, accompanying a school Holiday Show, playing Holiday Songs at a Tearoom, leading Christmas Carols at both a Marin Senior Center and a neighborhood public elementary school. It is such a grand pleasure to feel useful, to not only personally feel uplifted playing alone in my living room, but offer it up to others who find some pleasure and comfort in it all.

 

So imagine my surprise when I received the following forwarded communication from a nurse at the Jewish Home for the Ages to the Events Coordinators:

 

Hi Rebecca and Julia,

Ron and his partner Richard in Room 2032 are wanting to get into contact with Doug Goodkin both to express how much hearing his playing this week “brought Ron to heaven”. Ron literally said, “is this Heaven?” and was blown away by each song Doug played. They wanted to catch him after the concert to ask if he would be willing to visit them at their home to play while Ron receives his euthanasia drugs. The expected day is Wednesday Dec 6^th.

 

After a moment of sheer astonishment and a pause to take in the enormity of the request, I immediately called Richard to arrange what he proposed. Needless to say, have never done anything remotely close to this, but I said “Yes!” without needing to think about it. You will certainly hear back from me about that experience.

 

Meanwhile, I heartily recommend that we all say “Yes!!!” to everything that we are meant to do here on our short stay, to boldly step forth in full confidence that the World is calling to us for a reason and expects our response. Yes to Life and as above, Yes to Death. 

 

Thank you to my childhood piano/organ teacher, Mrs. Lutz. Who could have guessed where those lessons would lead?