I was reading this month’s issue of Recording Magazine and I ran across this line in an article by Rick Barrio Dill (great article, by the way!)

“I realize now that a true mentor’s job is to nurture and unlock the potential that is inside an individual and not force-feed their ideas, creating a clone of the teacher”

Have you had a teacher that has been a mentor for you? I have.

Paul Butcher is his name. He’s a world class trumpeter and piano player, has been ALL around the industry for many years, and yet came to teach at a little tiny Christian School in Lakeland, Florida a few years ago. I was fortunate enough to spend three years with him (which doesn’t feel like nearly long enough, given my stubborn streak, but that’s another story). Everything we ever spent time on in our lessons, whether it was playing, learning how to balance my life, or just venting about the latest trauma, all was incredibly valuable to me. He helped shape me, both as a player, and as a person. One of the most important lessons that I still reference weekly, if not daily, was in regards to practicing and dealing with other issues that came down on me. His advice boiled down to “when the shit falls, put the raincoat on and keep moving!” Can’t tell you how helpful that is to remember that.

The most interesting thing to me is this: Now that I’ve been out of lessons for about five months, normally, I’d be showing some signs of slackness. But, I’m actually totally the opposite right now. Am I as disciplined as I want to be yet? No, definitely not. Am I improving at a much better rate than I ever was? Absolutely! Am I totally engrossed in learning my instrument(s) and music to the most fullest that I can possibly achieve? Most definitely! Why have I never been like this before?

It’s all thanks the instruction of Mr. Paul Butcher. Thank you, so so much! You have no idea how much you’ve shaped my potential and shown me that I really could do this!

I’m gonna go before I cry now. Hehe.

Mike