When I first started out to enlist players for our Church orchestra, I asked many people who had “once-upon-a-time” played an instrument to play in a squak and squeek band. This is a band that we get together to play for a specific event like a talent show or some other casual event and give the audience a chance to laugh, applaud, and say, “those people are a lot braver than I would be.”
What happened is exactly what I thought would happen. People had fun and decided they didn’t sound as bad as they thought they would. And with that they made a commitment to rehearse on a regular basis for the fun of it. My philosophy is, “select music that challenges my most talented players.” Then cheer everyone else on and let them know that I will be happy if they play as many notes as they can well and the ones that are beyond them ... take a breather and rest. The audience doesn’t know that there are more notes that need to be played. |
What happens of course is that, in most cases they have a better player to sit next to and learn from. They want to play as many notes as possible. They rise to the challenge and amaze themselves as to what they can accomplish.
Isn’t that what living for Jesus is all about? He calls us to follow Him. He doesn’t say, “don’t worry, I will keep it easy for you.” No He says, “follow me. You can expect that you will be led to places that are difficult and you won’t believe you can do it. But I can do it and I will teach you and help you grow. Cast all your burdens on Me because I care for you.” |