Karl is forty-two years old. He’s got a high-powered job in county government and is as wide awake and sharp as they come. He’s been taking lessons for three years and he never practices. Well… hardly ever. It’s like that, really. Karl doesn’t touch his guitar in between lessons; like there’s some kinda law against it. But come 4:30 p.m. on Thursdays, when he’s sitting across from me with his guitar, Karl is as into my instruction and his playing as any student I see. He’s focused and clear and picks up on the spot. And he works hard. But as I said, there’s no practicing going on here. And where there’s no practice, there’s really no progress.

I’m a teacher, right? My students are supposed to move forward…. get better! That’s what I thought and that’s what I went by in my teaching. Karl’s radical approach to practice (zilch, zero, zip) took that flow away. All the new, new, new, get better, get better, get better, didn’t exist when Karl came in the room. So what was there left to do? That question pushed me into a corner. Then I got to thinking:

Question: Why does he keep showing up?

Answer: He enjoys his weekly guitar lessons. Simple. End of story. I can see it as he smiles when he comes in my door; as he tunes up and digs in to our weekly, guided practice session; forty-five solid minutes of strumming and singing. New learning? – a snail could go faster. Enjoyment and value? – Karl aint stupid and he keeps coming back!

It’s 4:30. Karl’s here. He’s checking his email as he pulls out his guitar. Busy man. But when he’s ready, he’s ready. It’s all good. There’s no guitar mountain we’ve got to climb.

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Nowadays we’re more of a team. We get out the old songs, like we do each week. We play and sing “Country Roads” and “Rocky Mountain High” and “Molly Malone,” stopping once and awhile for me to get him re-grooved on the rhythm. Then right back at it. Two guys singing and playing with nowhere to go and without a care in the world… Another kind of teaching.