Texas Bandmasters Association
Bandmasters Review • June 2014
9
Dealing With “It’s Good Enough.”
Doesn’t the title make you
cringe?
Isn’t the phrase “It’s good
enough” offensive to your sense
of educational integrity?
Aren’t you tempted to im-
pulsively react in a defensive
manner when a student resorts
to this worn-out old excuse?
Why would any musician (or
anyone, for that matter) ever claim
it’s good enough? We know the
pathway-to-excellence is never-
ending and yet we are constantly
searching for teaching techniques
that will stimulate our students to
reach a higher level of personal
achievement, to push them beyond
the perceived, “It’s good enough.”
Without question, every
individual has an unlimited
supply of undeveloped (or
underdeveloped) talent. Even the
master performers are constantly
pushing themselves to a higher
level of skill attainment. If we
know we can be more proficient,
what keeps us from developing to
the next level musical awareness,
performance, understanding? Isn’t
this the same inquiry we have
concerning our students? Why
don’t they practice, invest, commit,
dedicate, and enjoy the benefits of
their efforts?
The human, by nature, enjoys
comfort. Add to that, we are
“creatures of habit” and we find
ourselves “repeating behaviors”
simply for the sake of fulfilling the
requirements of life. In a sense,
we do what we do to maintain the
status quo or to get to the point of
“it’s good enough.” Therefore our
students replicate
the behavior by
learning what they
need to learn to
meet the assigned
goals, play/sing
the chosen music,
and complete the
requested object-
ives; but, it is
rare to find those
who over-achieve,
or push them-
selves beyond the
targeted finish
line.
Instead of fo-
cusing on “What
motivates the
individual?” (in
other words,
“What does it take
to stir one to push
beyond the given
requirements?”);
perhaps we should
ask what holds
the person back?
What is it that hinders the forward
momentum of our students, our-
selves, our race?
The world of psychology
spotlights two specific areas that
impede us in our quest-for-quality:
#1. Fear of failure, #2. Fear of
success.
FEAR OF FAI LURE :
It is easy
to understand the hesitation to
put oneself in a
posture of failure.
We have learned
to avoid failure at
all costs along with
the embarrassing
emotional pain
that accompanies
this dreaded
outcome. Instead
of seeing failure as
a stepping stone to
achievement, we
often see it as a
termination point.
However, the most
successful people
we know have
all embraced the
concept of failure;
and, in fact, have
even used it as a
motivating force
to accept, correct,
and re-try the task-
at-hand. There will
never be success
without failure,
therefore failure must be reframed
in our understanding as part of
the formula to help us reach our
highest goals and aspirations.
Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser
The human, by nature,
enjoys comfort . In a
sense, we do what
we do to maintain
the status quo or to
get to the point of
“ i t ’s good enough. ”
Therefore our
students repl icate
the behavior by
learning what they
need to learn to meet
the assigned goals,
play/sing the chosen
music, and complete
the requested
object ives; but , i t is
rare to f ind those
who over-achieve,
or push themselves
beyond the targeted
f inish l ine.