Face the Music
by Johnny Jefferson
Looking back, there were many times I wasn’t ready. When I wasn’t ready, I would try to stall. I would ask her about her husband, his music, the weather, and since it was Friday, I would not hesitate to bring up the weekend. “Any plans for the weekend?” I’d ask. This stalling would usually take about five or seven minutes and, on rare occasions, maybe ten. Never did she accuse me of not practicing, but on those days, she would always encourage me to practice more after lessons.
However, this day, this time was different! This time, I finally had a lot of free time prior to my lesson to practice. I had practiced relentlessly; most of my classes had ended. The college semester was winding down, and I had the abundance of free time and no excuse not to practice. I practiced and practiced and practiced the piano until I knew all the songs she asked and knew every note without looking at the sheet music.
That day, I entered her studio with energy like a young child eager to show their mother a hand-drawn picture to hang on the refrigerator. I rushed to put my stuff down and immediately sat down on the stool. I looked at the Steinway, eager to play it. For once, I did not see it as a behemoth, an instrument that antagonized me and instigated me to “try” to tame it. Instead, I was ready. I had a level of confidence and reassurance that almost felt uncanny.
I did not stall that day. We briefly exchanged pleasantries and I began to play the piano. We started with scales. I did those well. She then asked which of the three musical pieces she had assigned me I would like to play. I, confident in my ability, asked her which she would like to hear. I did well on the first piece. Then, for the second, we exchanged similar dialogue and again I played the piece she decided. The last piece was the longest and the one I had worked the hardest on. I insisted that I play that for her although we were running out of time and it might not be enough time to hear the piece in its entirety. I believed we had enough time, especially since we did not spend much time on pleasantries that day. I played and ended right on the end of our lesson.
She told me something that at the time frustrated me to no end. This is what she said: “Johnny, well done! You played all the notes and dynamics in the tempo of the piece. But you didn’t play the music. You lacked the feeling of the piece.”
This leads me to the most essential thing that I have learned in social work so far. I’ve learned about the life course family perspective, genograms, socioemotional selectivity theory, and many other theories and techniques that can help support, empower, and advocate for the welfare of those in the community and nation. However, none of those are the most essential thing that I have learned. The most essential thing that I have learned in social work so far is to meet clients where they are. That means to me that no matter how well I learn skills and techniques or able to play the notes, it is not music if it lacks compassion. The techniques and skills are helpful, but they are not a sure-fire solution to someone’s problems or issues. You have to have compassion and listen to the person you have the opportunity to work with - come alongside them - that is what I’ve learned. The difference won’t be made if the client is not ready or does not want to make that change quite yet. I think regardless of their decision, I am planning to meet them where they are and go from there.
Johnny Jefferson is finishing his first year in the University of Alabama MSW program. He volunteered in many places and with diverse populations, in hopes to prepare for a social work career and to help and empower others. Clinical licensure in social work and his own practice are some of his goals.