July 2024

Last week, we celebrated Independence Day here in the U.S. 🇺🇸

We went canoeing with Rory, I made a red, white, and blue charcuterie platter, and we reflected on the meaning of freedom, democracy, and independence and how this plays into our work as musicians and teachers.

And that led me to Benjamin Franklin.

Franklin was a Founding Father of the United States, signing the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, and the U.S. Constitution. There's also the famous story of flying a kite in a thunderstorm with a key attached to test his theory of electricity. 🔑

But it turns out there's a lot more to learn.

Benjamin Franklin embodied the principles of curiosity, intention, and the pursuit of knowledge—all things we can relate to as we aspire to excellence in music teaching and learning.

Here are 3️⃣ things we can learn:

1. Embrace Curiosity

Benjamin Franklin was innately curious about the world and how things worked. He was a printer by trade, but he was also:

an inventor (the lightning rod, the Franklin Stove, an early version of a photocopier, and a musical instrument called a glass armonica, heard in the Harry Potter films)
a diplomat and statesman (and signer of the Declaration of Independence)
an entrepreneur and business owner
Deputy Postmaster
a writer and author
a meteorologist

➡️ Takeaway: Be curious, ask thoughtful questions, and embrace “and” in your identity ("musician and ____"). Encourage your students to do the same.

2. Act with Intention

Franklin started and ended every day with a question:

In the morning, he asked himself, “What good shall I do this day?” and in the evening, he asked, “What good have I done today?”

This simple practice helped him work with intention and ensured that he made time for reflection afterward (because both are important).

➡️ Takeaway: Consider the impact you want to have through your work, the good you hope to do in the world. How can you act with intention today?

3. Be a Lifelong Learner

Franklin was a polymath with wide-ranging knowledge, despite having only two years of formal education.

Much of what he learned in life he learned through reading and experience. He wrote, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

As a musician and/or teacher, being a lifelong learner helps you stay competitive in the field, bring a fresh perspective to your work, and integrate new techniques and approaches to your creative practice.

➡️ Takeaway: Keep investing in your education. Look for opportunities to continue learning, growing, and developing new skills, whether through courses, workshops, or self-study (psst: I have something special planned related to this—keep an eye on your inbox next week!).

In closing, I'll leave you with one more quote, this one from Franklin's Poor Richard’s Almanack (1750): “Hide not your Talents, they for Use were made. What’s a Sun-Dial in the shade!”