Here I Go Again

What did this camper/student take away from a week spent with eighty-nine other guitarists, not including the faculty?

* From his fellow students, he re-learned that the people he gravitates toward are those who are genuinely good listeners in a non-musical context, e.g., sharing a meal. Since good listening is a critical skill for any musician, it follows that some of those same people are the ones this student wanted as jamming partners, technical skill aside.

* From the faculty, he re-learned that kindness - in demeanor, in language, in delivering critical feedback - trumps all. How well someone plays, how many famous people someone has played with, how much praise is heaped on someone by their talented peers, matters far less to this student than if that someone appears to be a kind human being.    

I need more time to fully process what I learned about guitar and what I learned about my playing this past week. Periodically reviewing my notes will help me with those things. But what I learned about myself as a person this past week is how much work I have to do. Not terribly profound or unique but clearly true. Fortunately, every day I'm alive gives me time to practice, both my guitar as well as all the other stuff. Here I go again.