A Day in the Life

A kindergarten teacher was going around the classroom peeking at the drawings the students were doing. She would stop to ask them what they were drawing and the answers were predictable— a tree, a house, a family. When she came to one student, she repeated the question:

 

“What are you drawing?”

 

“God,” the child replied.

 

“You can’t draw God,” said the teacher.

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because nobody knows what God looks like.”

“Well,” the child confidently replied, “they will now!”

 

I need that child to draw an image of what I’m feeling when my entire body is smiling from ear to ear and beyond. Such a day as today makes “joy” seem like a blasé little word in the face of the kilowatts of euphoria I felt so many, many times today.  Here was my day:

It began with the usual bubbling energy with our opening game, then break-out groups going off to work out some jazz blues and share, followed by some energetic Lindy Hop dancing. After lunch, guest artist drummer Herlin Riley comes dancing into the room just as we’re listening to Count Basie, gives me a warm embrace, turns to the group and effusively praises me as a music teacher who knows how to make learning fun. (He joined us in 2019 and also came to The SF School and spent some time with my students there.) 

I know what I care about and do well and don’t have an excessive need for such tributes, but when it comes from a musician and human being of his caliber, heck, I’ll take it! To add icing to that cake, I suggested that we play through a variety of jazz styles, me on piano and him on drums and Joshi on sax or bass. I prefaced it by telling the group that it was very bold of me, like asking Steph Curry if I could be on his team for some pick-up basketball. But Herlin, that most joyful and generous of fellows, was just happy to play period and we had such a good time, with him smiling through every note.

 

During question/answer, he was asked what the largest group he had ever performed for was and he mentioned a benefit concert with Wynton Marsalis and various pop stars in front of 80,000 people! But he quickly added that he was as happy to play for 20 in a club or for us in our class— the pleasure was simply in doing what he loves. I know just what he means. 

 

I ended the day reading Louis Armstrong’s description of growing up in New Orleans and how despite being poor and living in a violent neighborhood, he is clear that he was not to be pitied. “Man, I sure had a ball. Music all around you and music kept it all going.”

 

A short rest and then off to the Bayou Bar Club where Herlin was playing and over half the audience were from our class. Herlin sat on his chair like God on the throne and in my previous post on that subject, I forgot to mention that God is radiant with infectious joy. Don’t know what trauma that other stern guy suffered to be so grouchy, but the God of the drums is bliss. While performing the most extraordinary music with mind-boggling technique and virtuosity, Herlin was so relaxed that he was sometimes chatting with his friend seated nearby and even with one of the students in our class. His smile never ebbed and the energy of the music just kept increasing. At one point, some of our students got up to dance and that kicked it all up a notch further. Then when they launched into Horace Silver’s tune, The Preacher, I noticed that the chord changes were almost identical to I’ve Been Working on the Railroad and I began singing it with the whole club joining in! The musicians were delighted. 

 

And the little cherry on top of it all was that in-between one of the numbers, the band leader gave me an unexpected shout-out to the club, saying a “remarkable music teacher, Doug Goodkin, is in the house.” I don’t want to right now, but I believe I could die in peace. 

 

That was my day.