A Reminder to Just Play

I was talking with one of the BAM board members this week about the challenges I’m working through looking for solutions for BAMto return to in-person lessons. I mentioned to him my tendency to pick the first solution to a problem and not explore lots of options. Curiously, he pointed me to a talk on creativity by John Cleese, co-founder of Monty Python.

John Cleese talked about an open and a closed mindset, the open mindset a place where new ideas are explored and a closed mindset where focus helps complete tasks. While both are important to productivity, we tend to favor the closed mindset and reward children for their ability to operate in that space. The open mindset is a place of play, humor, and where most ideas worth doing start. 

At BAM we tell this to our students all the time; play your instrument every day. PLAY! Have fun. Explore. Don’t just run the scale or do the rudiment. Make some silly noise. Everyone is creative, you just have to give yourself permission. 

Sometimes you need a good teacher, or a good friend, to remind you the best way to solve the problem in front of you is to have a little fun with. That is a lesson I needed, and one we want our students to take with them for the rest of their life. re. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.

Clint Velazquez

Executive Director