The Art of Tuning In
How well do you pay attention? Are you truly listening or going off into your own world? Or checking your phone? Or maybe you’re making assumptions about a person or situation without looking at the full picture.
I’ve seen this with young people I’ve worked with, both in drum therapyⓇ sessions and back when I was a tutor. They rushed through but didn’t tune in to the assignment.
I often had to take a step back and tune in to figure out what was really going on. Often, it had nothing to do with what we were doing at all but something else going on in their life that was stressing them out.
This is not to say that I always hit the mark. Sometimes, I was the one rushing through or was stressed out due to something that happened before the session. I’ve learned to take a step back, talk less, and listen more. In doing so, I’ve been able to identify the issue, but I also often identified a gift or a different way of learning.
Tuning in
As a percussionist and drummer, I have to really listen when I play with bands. The tempo might change, different segments might get extended on the fly, an instrumental jam might get thrown in, they might sneak in a mashup of a couple of different tunes, or someone might take a solo.
Sometimes, different gifts are revealed in the process. This is why teachers and employers really need to pay attention! They might be missing the mark by only focusing on perceived deficits or weaknesses, instead of looking for the strengths.
It breaks my heart when I see kids and adults who have been held back or limited because their teacher or employer had no idea what their gifts are. Some of us think differently and just need a different environment, a different role, or a different way to learn.
I wish I could speak to every school district to explain this! It seems we’ve become so focused on labeling kids and have completely missed the gifts or aren’t accommodating them. It’s not fair for a kid to be denied advanced level work because his school only sees learning issues – or they don’t know how to accommodate a highly gifted or talented kid.
This is why many adults aren’t fully aware of their gifts and talents and feel stuck. They weren’t allowed to discover and release them. This goes for churches as well. They often put volunteers in positions that aren’t based on their gifts but what the church needs.
It may seem bizarre but adding in some targeted hand drumming exercises into private sessions really helps kids and adults to release, gain clarity and confidence, and I get to share what I see. Encouragement and a fresh perspective go a long way!
I’m Dori Staehle. I’m the owner and Chief Encouragement Officer at Next Stage Drumming & Coaching. I love helping kids and adults reduce anxiety and stress and find and activate their gifts so they can rise up and rock the Next Stage of their life. If you’d like to know more, click here and we can set up a time to chat! It’s a free 30-minute call and there’s no obligation. I also offer free mini-sessions! You can also check out my book, “Rise Up & Rock: Activating Your God-Given Purpose”!
