Failure

March 8, 2019

I don’t know how to describe the feeling of being in the pit band for the school musical. I say “in” the pit band rather than “playing in” the pit band because of the couple of numbers  in which I had absolutely no clue as to where we were in the song. Most of it went pretty well, but there were those two... 

Fortunately, I am surrounded by better musicians who not only covered for me; they also encouraged me. 

I’m already seeing some benefit from attempting something beyond my capabilities. Not only am I making friends with some great people, but when I went to jazz band rehearsal this afternoon, I came away saying, “That was EASY!” Compared to what we’re doing, the music I’ve been playing is pretty simple. 

One more benefit: Attempting music beyond my abilities and actually being able to be a part of the band makes me want to keep trying more difficult music. I know I’ll never be really good at it, but I can be better. That’s what I want, not only in music, but in life. There was a time when I believed it imperative to be successful. What I’m learning is that if I’m always successful it means I’m not stretching enough. If I limit myself to what I already know I can do, there is no way I can grow or get better. Failure is not always a bad thing. It can be the stepping stone to greater success. I’ve been failing a lot in this musical, but because of those failures, I’m also getting better as a bassist. That’s good, and  I’m thankful tonight for my failures and what they teach me. The