Having watched Taber Gable grow up at the Joy of Music School, I was filled with glowing pride when I heard Wynton Marsalis had accepted Taber to the Jazz Studies Program at Juilliard.

Through his formative years, I witnessed many of Taber’s innumerable practice sessions, lessons and recitals. I speak for us all when I congratulate him on his well-earned achievement. When we persevere and achieve, we build ourselves, strengthen who we are, and contribute to society. Communities need people who set goals, work hard and perform in the face of doubts and fears.

With our spring recital coming up on Saturday, May 10, this notion is in the air at the Joy of Music School. We are preparing our students for a challenge—a solo appearance before hundreds of people looking on in silence (Let that sink in! And you’re eight years old!). We prepare these children for much more than playing the right notes. It’s bigger than that; it’s an encounter with an audience, but more importantly, with oneself. A child might get roaring applause after her performance. But in completing a performance, she also learns to roar like a lion.

Nurturing the personal qualities that move our children to persevere and achieve delivers the biggest payback of all. Yes, applause is nice, but that fades as the next performer enters the stage. The internal victory is what lives on long after the performance is over. “I overcame my fears! I planned, prepared, and succeeded! I performed!” Those statements, from within and addressed to oneself, leave an everlasting imprint. They contribute to better children and better communities.

 

 

Francis Graffeo Executive Director

 

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