The following contains excerpts from the book, The Art of Possibility (Benjamin Zander).
At our music school in Odessa, Texas we believe that music is much more than sound, rather, it is relationships. The subject of relationships envelops the understanding of Leadership. Relationships, leadership and community are enhanced and even defined by music and the arts.
“Historically, artists have been employed by leading institutions to bring emotional truth to established principles. Yet in our new global society, not institution has the wide acceptance to create values and direction for the majority of people. Markets in free societies are rapidly replacing governments and religious institutions as regulators of the highest authority, and markets perform without values…revolutionary shifts in the operational structures of our world seem to call for new definitions of who we are and what we are here for.”
The most important thing a teacher can do for their student is to help them see a picture of their potential, based upon their unique strengths and giftedness. At our music school in Odessa, Texas we endeavor to help students gain a larger perspective of their potential and help them to connect the dots to walk out the steps that it will take to fulfill that potential.
Frameworks for Possibility
“The ‘leader of possibility’ invigorates the lines of affiliation and compassion from person to person in the face of the tyranny of fear. Any one of us can exercise this kind of leadership…This new leader carries the distinction that it is the framework of fear and scarcity, not scarcity itself, that promotes divisions between people. He asserts that we can create the conditions for the emergence of anything that is missing. We are living in the land of our dreams. This leader calls upon our passion rather than our fear. She is the relentless architect of the possibility that human beings can be.”
The mindset of scarcity is in direct opposition to the mindset of plenty. When one has a mindset that can see the limitless possibilities all around us, this eliminates the need for a competitive attitude. At our music school in Odessa, Texas, we seek to establish a collaborative environment rather than a competitive one, based upon the understanding that there are unique paths and unlimited resources for those who are creative enough to see them.
“In the realm of possibility, there is no division between ideas and action, mind and body, dream and reality. Leaders who become their vision often seem uncommonly brave to the rest of us. Whether from the middle of the action, or from the sidelines, they are a conduit for carrying the vision forward…A vision has the impelling force of a long line of music…In this way, a vision releases us from the weight and confusion of local problems and concerts, and allow us to see the long clear line. A vision becomes a framework for possibility when it meets certain criteria that distinguishes it from the objectives of the downward spiral.”
“The practice of framing possibility calls upon us to use our minds in a manner that is counterintuitive: to think in terms of the contexts that govern us rather than the evidence we see before our eyes. It trains us to be alert to a new danger that threatens modern life- the danger that unseen definitions, assumptions, and frameworks may be covertly chaining us to the downward spiral and shaping the conditions we want to change.”
At our music school in Odessa, Texas we try to help students develop this kind of thinking – one that embraces what can be, rather than what is. When a student only focusses on what is, rather than what is possible, they limit themselves to what has been done before and is not free to be aware of new creative paths. Choosing to see things in new frameworks, new paradigms, and new possibilities frees the student to imagine what may not have been attempted. This can lead to new discoveries and breakthroughs, whether small or large, individual or possibly adaptable to a large community framework.
“Nelson Mandela is reported to have addressed these words of Marianne Williamson’s to the world at large.”
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate,
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous-
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God,
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people
Won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some of us: it is in everyone,
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously
Give other people permission to do the same.
Most people have a sense of their own uniqueness, but have it discouraged by early criticism from those they trust around them. They know it’s there, yet are unsure of how to develop it. They may question why it should be developed or used. They may ask questions like, “Why should I develop this?” or “Is it even worth it to anyone else?” This is where the benefit of having a teacher or coach comes in. At our music school in Odessa, Texas we help the student see their unique giftedness, as well as helping them down the path of developing it, and most importantly how to value it within their own heart. This is the important role of the teacher, to nurture these miracles what lay within the soul of the individual, bringing them to a place where they can acknowledge and embrace these gifts they have been given, without ridicule or suppression, but with acceptance, guidance, and positive motivation.
This is the value of what we offer at our music school in Odessa, Texas: making possibilities a reality.