It might have taken place in a concert hall or practice room. Was it a recording? Maybe it was something that happened during one of your performances in a concert hall.
Or, it might have been some revelation that occurred nowhere near a music building. Maybe it was a tired old cliché that someone said using different words that made that tired old cliché immediately relevant.
I had a turning point on the day I finally understood what a teacher had been telling me for 3+ years: something I had completely rejected. I finally got it 8 or 9 years later. His message was more than musical instruction; it was instruction on how to live a productive and healthy life.
Thankfully, I was able to pass on my gratitude to my former teacher about 10 years later.
“I want you to know that I finally realized what you meant all those times you told me that I played with ‘too much intensity’.”
To his remarkable credit, he just smiled knowingly and happily for me. He didn’t say a word. (He would have been completely justified to say “I told you so,” and much worse.) His kind and gentle reaction was also a big break for me in a certain way.
I have some others, but what was your big break or turning point?
During these times in which we currently live, it might be good to remember how you got to where you are today, and that the next big break or turning point could happen anytime – during or after quarantine.
