Music Authority Family Newsletter for July 9, 2019

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*

Music Authority Family Newsletter - July 9, 2019 Don't Look Backward Keeping Focus Why is your student in lessons?  Why are YOU in lessons?  Sometimes, in the day to day rush of life, we forget our focus.  Life happens, practice time turns into television time, and before we know it, another week is past without music getting the time it needs. I'm just as bad as everyone else.  Practice for my Spanish lessons goes out the window with a work crisis.  Sitting down at my piano is forgotten in favor of the next episode of Expedition Unknown.  A trip to North Georgia takes the place of a long afternoon full of writing time.   Sometimes it's important to remind ourselves of the end goal.  If we have no further goal than to just enjoy thirty minutes a week away from life; time to play guitar with out teacher, then no harm, no foul.  We're getting out of our lessons exactly what our goals define. If your goal is for your child to play proficiently - maybe we need to focus a bit better.  Thirty minutes once a week isn't going to get them there.  With all the distractions out there - video games, days at the pool, friends home for the summer - it's easy to get off target.  It's easy to lose our focus. I'll admit an embarrassing truth now.  Today is the first time in over a month I sat down at my piano to practice.  It's terrible.  I can give you a lot of excuses, but there's really only one - I didn't make time for it.  I can say I'm busy.  I can say I've had a lot going on.  But the truth is, I decided to not make fifteen minutes in my daily schedule to sit down and play. I heard a speaker recently talk about focus and not being diverted from your path.  He mentioned the importance of defining your focus.  It's so easy to get wrapped up in the insignificant.  Here's what I think he meant: My drive in life is to educate.  I love helping students, I love helping other teachers help students, and I live to know that Music Authority has had a positive impact on someone's life.  Some students are with us for a day, some of us for a year, and some for a lifetime.  My calling doesn't change with the length of time I spend with them. If I let myself lose focus by concentrating on the students who aren't with us anymore (because of college, loss of interest, or simply because they found somewhere else that better fits their needs), I won't be fulfilling my purpose.  Why?  Because I'll be thinking about the kids that are gone instead of the kids that are here.  How much will I miss?  How many smiles, high fives, and cheers will go unnoticed by me because my mind is somewhere else?  That's my personal version of a video game - reliving the past in my mind to try and figure out how to change it.  The terrible truth is nothing can change the past, so why keep my focus on what is gone? Where is your focus?  Where is your student's focus?  What can you do today to reach that goal of being a better musician?  Is it worth ten minutes of lost video game time?  Or is it more important than those last thirty minutes at the pool? Define your purpose. Melissa A. Loggins, Owner #MusicAuthorityFamily #beyondthemusic Click Here to Log In to Your Lessons Account Back to the NAMM Show Next week, it's back to the Nashville NAMM Show.  Melissa will be presenting again at the NAMM Idea Center (5 Lessons Program Crisis and How to Fix Them). This year we'll be joined by student ambassadors Audrey Gilley, Jackson Coppinger, Savannah Hughes, Jackson Warren, and Dominic Perez. Watch our social media July 17-20 for updates on our adventures! Drum Week at Music Authority It's drum week at Music Authority!  We've received new shipments from Vic Firth and from Zildjian - stop by and stock up! Shop local - support local jobs, local charities, and your local music shop! Music Authority's Fall Show: Monster Mash Music Authority's Fall Show announced!  It's going to be a graveyard smash!   Sign up for the fall show - any current student can register to be put in a band and perform in the fall show - Monster Mash! Registration Opens on Sunday, July 14, 2019 at 2pm Not in Lessons at Music Authority? Sign Up Here! Thank you to everyone who helped us raise over $2100 for The Alzheimer's Association at The Longest Day concert.  This is Teacher Band's closing number featuring Melissa Loggins, Jake Lanni, Shawn Jacoby, Lauren Isenberg, Andrew Loggins, and Bret Dorton. Click Here to see what events are coming up at Music Authority Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* Our mailing address is: *|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* *|END:IF|* Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. *|IF:REWARDS|* *|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*