'Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as a Fiddler on the Roof!'
This is the closing line to the opening scene of the wonderful show, Fiddler on the Roof, that I have just had the privilege to work on with a group of 50 women and girls. After 5 months of hard work, we performed four performances to a total of over 2000 women! What an experience. So intensely exhausting, so immensely rewarding, and I have learnt so much during the process.
In my job I spend a lot of time helping people to fulfil their potential. As a teacher my role is to build people up, giving them the skills to move forward but also the confidence to believe they can do it. I'm not sure I realised until recently what an absolute joy there is in being the provider of both skill and confidence.
In my nearly 10 years of being a music teacher I have never stopped learning. Every person that I have worked with, has taught me about my self, about my flaws and limitations as a musician and as a teacher, and has pushed me to find new ways to draw out of people what I know is in there.
This has never been more true than when working on this production. Every person in the cast, in the crew and in the production team has helped me to grow and to learn and to become a better teacher. It is so exciting to see the whole process from start to finish, and sharing it with an audience and watching them laugh and cry their way through the show is the biggest reward.
One of my favourite things about my work is how my success is measured. When I worked in the school system it was all about grades and targets. Even as a music teacher these markers were more important than the level of performance, the growth of the performer or the affect a performance could have on an audience. Now, I am judged by the feelings my students have towards their musical experiences, their sense of development and self worth, the quality of their performances, by the talent they have, by the emotional connections they make and by the joy they feel and make others feel through their performances.
I love all the areas of my work but there is something intensely magical about working with young girls and women who put themselves out there, taking huge risks to bring the magic of musical theatre to hundreds of women.
Musical theatre is a bit addictive, and once you've felt that adrenaline rush you can't help but crave a little more. After the first three shows, I felt like I was on cloud 9! I couldn't get the smile off my face and I was so proud of what we had produced. Now that the 4th and final show has come and gone I am left with a profound sense of loss. It was an amazing experience, the audience loved it, my daughter can't stop singing the songs, my mother can't stop telling me how proud she is, but I am bereft.
Today I go back to work, and I will fill my time and my mind with all the pressures and excitements that come with my job, and I couldn't ask for a better distraction. Having said that, I am also looking forward with anticipation to starting the next journey to producing the next show!
