I Only Know Two Notes

When I lived in Waco, Texas I was asked to direct music for a Baptist Church in the community of China Spring. That church was full of wonderful, loving people and I made some good friends during my time there.

It soon became apparent to me that we had a lot of budding young musicians and some adults who were instrumentalists and they needed an outlet for their talents, so we formed a church orchestra in the fall of 1994. We planned, promoted, bought the music, and invited all of the musicians we could find from that congregation and we launched our church orchestra on a beautiful sunny Sunday in late September.

Twenty-two people showed up that first Sunday. And they sounded pretty good to me, all things considered, when one considers the vast range of skills represented among our group. But I’ll never forget what happened after that first Sunday morning rehearsal.

Carrie, an 8th grade trombone player came up to me after rehearsal. She looked sad, almost as if she was about to burst into tears.

She said, “Mr. Biggs. I only know two notes.”

I looked at her, smiled and said, “That’s OK, Carrie. Every time those two notes show up on the page you play them to the best of your ability, and next week you’ll know three notes, then five, and pretty soon you’ll be able to play the whole song.”

Guess what? She did learn. She did play. So did we all. We were at varying levels in our skill development, but we pulled together, we had fun, we learned, and we made music together.

So, how many notes do you know? College graduation was not the end. It was a commencement! It was the beginning! How exciting is that? This is the key: we keep learning and growing.

My career path has taken me lots of places, with some completely different career tracks, including music, insurance, retail sales, real estate, education, professional writing and speaking. Along the way I’ve continued to add notes to my repertoire. I’m no longer a one-note samba.

I love what public speaker and humorist Charlie “Tremendous” Jones was fond of saying. “You’ll be the same person five years from now that you are today, except for the people you meet and the books you read.”

Ah, that’s the secret isn’t it? Books and people. Reading and life experiences. Are we exposing ourselves to other minds? What have you learned lately? That’s the significant question.

I’ve been fortunate to have some major “minds” in my life along the way. In the mid 70’s I had a friend named Dan, a professor at Seattle Pacific University. Every time we got together he always found a way to challenge my thinking and open my eyes to new ways of viewing things.

My friend Steve was in public relations, and times spent with him were revelations in how to look at things from a different perspective and view life from all angles.

Jim taught me much about my relationship with God and helped me form my God-concept.

When I worked retail we were required to complete learning tutorials about every three to four months on some new product that was being introduced. That kept us sharp and up to speed so that we could best represent our wares.

What’s new in your field? What resources are available to you for your skill development?

What have you read recently?

How are your people skills? Have you read any great books lately on getting along with people?

How is your home life? Are you stuck in the rut or are you trying fun, fresh activities to keep the spark alive and the family close?

How many notes do you know?

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Michael Biggs is a speaker, writer, speech coach and vocal soloist. He lives in Edmonds, WA. with his wife Carolyn. His company is called Up-Words, “Offering Hope, Encouragement, and Inspiration One Word at a Time”. He is available to speak to your business or organization. Please contact him at 206-349-1888 or email him at michael@up-words.net.