Imagine Having Paul McCartney and George Harrison in Your Music Class
One of my favorite TED talks is by Sir Ken Robinson. The title: “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” You can view it here.
On his website, Robinson notes that he “works with governments, education systems, international agencies, global corporations and some of the world’s leading cultural organizations to unlock the creative energy of people and organizations.”
Perhaps that’s why his lecture on creativity has been viewed more 40 million times by an estimated 350 million people in 160 countries and remains one of TED’s most popular talks.
The other day I stumbled across a YouTube video where Robinson mentions a conversation he had with Paul McCartney of Beatles and Wings fame. Here’s a snippet:
“He hated music at school. Nobody thought he had any musical talent at all … His teacher never spotted anything unusual about McCartney’s abilities.”
Astonishing, don’t ya think?
But wait. There’s more.
“One of the other students in the same music class with him was George Harrison,” Robinson added. “Nobody thought he had any talent, either.”
Imagine being a music teacher who had half the Beatles in class — and missing it.
According to Robinson, here’s the moral of the story: “Talent is often buried deep. It’s not obviously lying around on the surface. You have to go looking for it.”
Let me ask you a question: What are you missing? In your children. Your spouse. Your co-workers, neighbors, friends, family. There may be a gemstone, nugget, or other treasure just below the surface (perhaps even a bit deeper) that requires a bit of digging, sifting, discerning.
You may have a Paul McCartney or a George Harrison right in front of you. Perhaps a Martha Graham, Picasso, Maya Angelou, George Lucas. Don’t miss it. Please. Nurturing that little seed could produce a harvest that inspires a generation, and you can help make it happen. Many will thank you — including me.
