I was speaking to a football coach at the gym this morning and he shared that one of his players was just offered a full scholarship at a Division 1 college.  Well….kind of.  It turns out the player is only a freshman in high school.  Oh sure, he has the size and athletic ability that would lead one to believe he will be able to contribute to their program, but a lot can happen in the next three years.  While the school can’t really offer him a scholarship at this point, they have promised that one will be available when he is of age.

I found it interesting that as the coach continued to tell me the story, he never spoke about the kid’s ability to play football.  He said he told the young man that he has a great opportunity but that he was going to have to take care of his grades, change who he was hanging out with, and develop better work habits.  And there it is.  The magic formula.  Talent, in and of itself, is rarely the deciding factor in one’s success.  It takes constant learning, surrounding yourself with good people, and having a good work ethic.

Today, no every day, I encourage you to help your students to understand this important lesson.  You know, all to well, the amount of time you spent in the practice room.  You also know that it was important to surround yourself with good musicians.  And it is an unquestionable truth that life-long learning is a critical skill.  When we got to college, we found out everyone there had talent.  The truly successful ones, were the ones who had all those OTHER skills.  Just sayin’!

Make Today a Magnificent Day!

Gary L Rupert

Culture Strategist/Mentor

II:Leaders Creating:II Leaders

LCL Mentors @ Marching Arts Education