One of the things I enjoy most about interviewing accomplished musicians for our bi-weekly Music Life and Times podcast is how humble they are about their accomplishments. That humility is rooted in the work it took to for them to get good, as well as what it is still taking them to get better.
It’s been said, or agreed to, a thousand times, by Kevin and me, but also by the musicians we talk with at gigs, in our podcast, or just seeing each other in passing: Learning to play and perform music is hard; it takes persistence, determination, hard work, and especially time, lots of time practicing, working on those little stumbling blocks that confront you along the way. That’s a life lesson that learning to play and perform teaches you, the humility you derive from making that effort and sticking with it.
Humility is an endearing characteristic. I’ve found in my work as a writer, in interviews with people in a variety of professions—music, business, sports, medicine, law, any profession—that the most accomplished are typically humble. They don’t have to brag about their achievements because they’ve done it, and that speaks for itself.
Humility is another of the great lessons that learning to play and perform music teaches you, a life lesson that carries over to everything and everyone you encounter along the way.