The Road to Success

Early on in life, I had the sense that I had something to offer that I thought the World should pay attention to, something worthy that deserved its response. Stumbling into a job at school that guaranteed that kids would keep showing up day after day to test my proposition ending up confirming that my work indeed was worthy of their time and attention. It was enough and yet it wasn’t. So I began offering teaching-training workshops, building a mailing list and as described in an earlier blog, doing whatever it took to bring people to the music room door on Saturday— making flyers on old pre-computer machines, getting them copied, folded, stuffed in envelopes, addressed, stamped and sent. I wanted to walk this work out further on the roads to success —ie, people actually showing up at the workshop and finding the experience useful to their own teaching. 

 

The image of literally walking it all down the road feels right. World was mildly interested but made it clear that I had to do the walking. Later I graduated to a bicycle as my mailing list grew and then a car as I connected with the greater Orff network and received invitations to teach. No Sugar Daddys ever appeared to lighten my load or move it out beyond where I could reach, no big institutions had me climb aboard their big vehicles. From the workshops to the publications to the summer Orff trainings to the performances, it mostly was me doing all the walking/riding/ driving. Of course, I did get much support from Orff organizations far and wide, a few publishers before starting my own Pentatonic Press, welcome invitations to teach here, there and everywhere. But still, mostly the feeling of me riding that bicycle, that any ships coming in were mostly rowboats, canoes or kayaks.

 

But then came Samantha Campbell and her film project. Not only did she make the film and with her crew, do all the shooting, editing, sound, image enhancement and such, but she got it out there to the film festival world (over 20 in one year), all without me lifting a finger. It was like a limousine appearing at my door and inviting me in, saying “Relax. We’ll do the driving, have a drink back there and we’ll take you to the next place.”

For the first time, there were much bigger wheels turning that I didn’t have to push myself and suddenly, last night, I went to the PBS Streaming site and put the film in search and there it was!!! Instead of the 50 to 100 people sitting watching at the Film Festival, now its available to literally millions of people throughout North America (no International streaming yet). From my rickety old bicycle to a fleet of limousines (or a private jet?), the roads my work is travelling are suddenly super-highways going to destinations I could never reach by myself. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thrilled by this new opportunity. 

 

And yet still it was always—and still is— a pleasure to ride my bike on a small dirt road in a park. Success is sweet, but only inasmuch as it gets the word out further to more people and me still with a conviction that it’s a good word and good work that the world needs. So no contradiction to appreciate both levels of success. The outer one of fame (no fortune here) and the inner one as described by Emerson:

 

WHAT IS SUCCESS?

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and
the affection of children;
To earn the approbation of honest critics and endure
the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To give of one's self;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and
sung with exultation;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you
have lived -
This is to have succeeded.