Why A Strong Ethical Foundation is One of the Keys to Good Musicianship
It's impossible to build lasting long-term working relationships with people that you don't fundamentally trust, and that includes when I'm working with myself. For example, if I can't trust myself to put in the hours of practice and study necessary to play well, then long-term success is impossible. In this article, I'm going to discuss what I've learned from recent Bible study, and from life experiences, about the importance of building a long-term ethical foundation for a lifelong commitment to good musicianship.
Concept One: To the extent possible, work with people whom you trust, who trust you, who you want to succeed, and who want you to succeed.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says the following (World English Bible [WEB] translation):
5. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and don't lean on your own understanding.
6. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight.
7. Don't be wise in your own eyes. Fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
At the end of the day, all of us should listen to that voice inside of us because it tells us the truth about ourselves, and it also tells us the truth about the people around us. Deep down, each of us knows whether or not we worked hard enough on a given day, and deep down we know whether or not we want the other person near us to succeed or not, and we know who around us really wants to see us succeed, and who doesn't. The Bible passage above was one of the things that helped me to start telling myself the truth about myself and others, and to then start making the necessary adjustments.
Concept Two: Everyone needs both encouragement AND accountability.
As human beings, we need people who are secure in themselves enough to tell us when we did something very well. We also need people who are honest enough to tell us when we didn't do so well.
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 (WEB) teaches us to encourage one another:
9. For God didn't appoint us to wrath, but to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
10. who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
11. Therefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as you also do.
However, we also need to hold each other accountable, and to correct each other when we are wrong.
Galatians 6:1 (WEB) teaches us the following:
Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, looking to yourself so that you also aren't tempted.
Concept Three: Hard work is often thankless. You have to be willing to work very hard for a very long time without recognition before you will start to see results.
Galatians 6:9 (WEB) teaches us the following:
"Let's not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season if we don't give up."
Concept Four: Slow and steady wins the race.
It is tempting to want to play fast passages, to progress at a fast pace, and to achieve incredible things at a very young age. But life is a marathon, not a sprint. Each of us has to focus on developing good and sustainable habits that will last for an entire lifetime.
- Read and study diligently. (See 2 Timothy 2:15)
- Take things (such as learning a song) slowly at first, and then increase the speed gradually. (See Proverbs 21:5)
- Build your character while you're building your technique. The two go hand in hand. (See Proverbs 11:3)
- Tell yourself the truth about your weaknesses, and take responsibility for correcting them. (See Proverbs 28:13)
Luke 16:10 (WEB) says this:
10. He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
If I cut corners when I'm practicing scales, then I'll probably cut corners when I'm performing on stage. If I constantly make excuses when things go wrong, then I'll eventually do the same when it really matters. That's why musicianship without a strong ethical foundation is like building a house on sand: it might look fine from a distance, but it won’t hold up under pressure.
So please be faithful with the small things. Be honest with yourself. And commit to the process for the long haul. Thank you for reading this article!