Are we aware of the vast knowledge that surrounds us?
Working at a theme park is a pretty cool gig. I enjoy the interaction with guests and the ability to help people forget about the stress and pressure of life for a short time.
The joy I feel working at the theme park is similar to the joy I feel when I am playing my trumpet in concert. It doesn’t matter if I am playing with a small combo at a small venue, or a big band, rock band, or whatever kinda of band, at a large event. I help people forget about life for a while and allow them to enjoy themselves by providing entertainment.
I have played in and continue to play in a variety of groups that range from community bands to cover bands to concert bands to pit orchestras. It is a blast to play next to and with a variety of people in a variety of places.
One thing I make sure I do is to be aware of the people I play alongside in groups, the music I am playing, and the conversations I have with the people I am with. Conversations about music, life, and anything else that meets our fancy.
There is so much to learn when we make sure that we are aware.
An anole, walking around backstage at the theme park I work at, is what prompted this writing.
As I was walking out of a building that only team members can access, I looked on the ground and watched an anole scurry across the walkway, stop at the edge of a fence, and then disappear on the other side of the fence. It was an area that I do not have access to for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it is fenced off, and I do not have a key to the gate. Secondly, it is new construction, and the potential of getting injured is great because the construction consists of a lot of concrete bricks and metal track, support beams, and safety bracing for a new rollercoaster.
By the way, if you are not sure what an anole is, check out the picture of the lizard I provided with this blog. That is an anole.
After watching the anole enter the forbidden zone, I thought, “That lizard has no idea that it has super-secret access to an area that a lot of influencers on the internet would love to visit. But it has no idea that its ability to move freely in the amusement park is something that others would enjoy experiencing.”
You may be thinking, “Come on Dan, you didn’t think that when you watched a lizard crawl by. You are making it up for this blog.”
Hate to break it to you, I really thought that, and those types of thoughts cloud my mind a lot.
You have been warned.
How does a lizard in search of its next meal in a fenced-off area of an amusement park fit in with a music blog, you may be asking?
Here goes.
How many times have we looked back at a situation or even at our lives and thought, “If I only knew then, what I know now?”
Personally, I try to ask as many questions as I can, experience as many trumpet playing opportunities that I can, and be aware of all of my actions so that I may have a lot less thoughts of, “If I only knew then”, and a lot more thoughts of, “Wow, I am glad that I will remember this experience as a core memory.”
I want to be aware of the things that I am experiencing, the people I am playing next to in groups, and learning as much as I can about my encounters so that I may help someone in the future by answering a question that they may have or directing them to the correct path that will help them with their decisions.
A simple example.
When I expressed interest in auditioning for major orchestras across the country, my trumpet professor, Dr. Dalvin Boone from Indiana State University, wisely directed me on a different path. I love Dr. Boone as a person, trumpet player, and as my trumpet teacher, and because of that respect and love that I have for him, when he made the statement, “Dan, I don’t think that you are ready to audition for major orchestras at this point in your playing career. There is a lot you can learn on the job, but there are a lot of people that have already learned those things and cannot get the orchestra jobs at this time. Let’s begin working on…..”
At the end of that sentence, he listed multiple things that are expected of a trumpet player to play or do at orchestral auditions. He didn’t list them as a way to show me how much I didn’t know or how bad of a player I was; instead, he showed me how much I needed to work on and made me aware of how big the world of music is compared to me playing high notes in a practice room.
Fortunately, because of my respect for Dr. Boone, my ability to listen and apply wise counsel, and my willingness to be aware of how much I needed to learn, I went down a different and much more satisfying path.
Thank you again, Dr. Boone. I still remember so many things from our lesson times and cannot thank you enough.
I learned a lot from my other lesson teachers, band directors, and college music professors. I was aware that I had a limited time with them and that time was valuable.
In our regular lives, musical lives, and work lives, we need to be aware.
Be aware of the people with whom we work. Be aware of the things that they can teach us, the things that we can help teach them, and be sure to treat them as human beings and not as a means to help you gain something that you may want.
Be aware of the surroundings. Be aware of the circumstances that present themselves in the surroundings that may give us opportunities to help others or direct them down a path that will help with their decisions.
Be aware of ourselves. Be aware of our attitudes. We should remember that we may know a lot, but we do not know everything. There is always someone who knows more. We should remember that we may be an outstanding musician, but there is always someone who can play a little better, and we can learn from them.
Most of all, be sure to be proactive in being aware and not reactive.
Here is a closing story for this blog.
My first teaching job was in Texas. The house we rented had a large window in the living room. At night, we would have the living room light on and the window shade raised.
Our son, 2 years old at the time, loved to watch the “Izards on the Indow” eat the bugs that were attracted by the light and gathered on the glass. We were teaching him to say his “L’s” and “W’s” at the time so that he would eventually be able to say, “Lizards on the Window.”
What was entertainment for a 2-year-old in 1995 has become a part of a blog in 2026, all because of one little anole entering a restricted area.
The izards on the indow in Texas were reactive, not aware of the buffet they received each night because of an entertained 2 year old boy.