Service

Once upon a time, a bunch of us were highly driven and efficient folks, we aimed to be productive and regarded sleep as weak. Some of us are still the same years later, working through meals and still going for big financial goals.

But music did something to me.

Hopefully not turning me into some pathetic crap or weirdo artist.

But music teaches me to be more of a service person, instead of always going for give-and-take, trade-offs, or even win-win.

Actually, all these are very economical isn't it? We were taught by such excellent engineering fathers, accounting mothers and our holistic education system trained us to be such excellent negotiators and planners. Now, looking back, we were all too young and narrow..

But, what is the music world? Is it economics, accounting, info systems?

Of course, for teachers like myself whom teach as a form of living, much is in students and parents' hands because they feed us, financially. Nothing to be ashamed of, because every job in the world, is actually, even if you package it so well, a service job.

Now, I could finally understand that, there is a time to deal with difficult customers. There is a time these difficult customers have to repay you, maybe in other means. There is a time for cunning parents, but when you see how many steps ahead they are in their thinking, it gets you thinking too! There are times for lost money, lower popularity and humiliation, but there will also be times for musical inspiration, stage performance and advanced music!

The most important factor in the music industry is to be musical - to serve the piece of music you are playing. When you are only a beginner, play "Do" in the most musical way. When you are only playing "Hot Cross Buns", make it the most rhythmic beginner's piece ever. When you are forced to play only ABRSM pieces due to Asian parents, play ABRSM pieces so well that even the UK Examiner sits in awe with your music. Even if your customers are so unmusical and unrhythmic, you will still produce the best music because you can always find talent in yourself.

Maybe serving music and people are what musicians are truly for.

P.S. But I am still going to do some other jobs because being a piano teacher is still so bloody lame....