Passion
So often in the blogosphere and at conferences we hear about passion. Great teachers show passion in working with students and have ways of reaching them, we want our students to be passionate about learning and we want them to follow their passions in their future work place. Well, tonight I went to a concert in which both performers displayed absolute passion for their work and found ways to connect with their audience. Taylor Swift and Keith Urban just beamed and exuded a positive energy during a three and half hour concert. Not once did they look bored, tired, or at all uninterested in their audience. Taylor connected with the audience by having her very expressive face up on the jumbotron while she sang and told stories. At one point she just stood and looked out at the crowd in awe as everyone cheered. She took her earplugs out to have a better listen. Keith connected by getting off the stage and walking through the crowd to a small stage at the back of the arena. When he got up there he asked “Who’s got the good seats now?” (That was us.) He sang three songs and moved back to the front. Later he moved to a microphone in one of the ailes. Taylor and Keith entertained the audience with an amazing amount of energy that never let up. They also made sure they thanked the audience for coming, multiple times. Keith Urban acknowledged that times are hard for many right now and he was honored that so many people make it to their shows. At the end of his performance the band members tossed out picks and drumsticks and Keith shook hands with those closest to the stage. Then they did something I had never seen at a concert before. The band lined up, put their arms around each other and bowed to the audience. That was followed by credits and pictures of the behind the scenes people on the jumbotron. Nice touch. We left the concert with the feeling that these two people love what they do. They were an inspiration and I hope to outwardly show more passion in my teaching this year.
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