Tuesday, 13 April 2010
Mentors open doors - who was yours and who are you now?
In the new book Ken Robinson talks about the importance of mentors in his book ‘The Element, how finding your passion changes everything’ - "These people inspire us and lead us to marvel at the wonders of human potential. They open our eyes to new possibilities and fire our aspirations… they take a unique and personal place in our lives. Mentors open doors for us and get involved directly in our journeys. They show us the next steps and encourage us to take them."
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Singer Ray Charles talks about his mentor: "Wiley Pittman, he was a cat. I mean, if it hadn't been for him, I don't think I'd be a musician today. We lived next door to him. He had a little cafe and he had a piano in there. Every afternoon around 2 or 3pm he'd start to practice. I was three years old and - I don't know why I loved him, I can't explain that - but by the time he'd start practicing and playing the boogie woogie I would stop playing as a child, I didn't care who was out there in the yard, my buddies, or whoever, I would leave them and go inside and sit by him and listen. "From time to time I'd start hittin' the keys with my whole fists and finally he would say to me. 'Look kid, you don't hit the keys with your whole fist if you like music" So he started to teach me how to play little melodies with one finger. I realise today he could have said "Kid, get away from me, I'm practicing' but he didn't. He took the time. Somehow he knew in his heart, 'this kid loves music so much, I'm going to do whatever I can do to help him learn how to play'"
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