Don't forget your own musical education and enrichment.

As teachers and performers, we are always encouraging our students to attend recitals and concerts so they can learn more about themselves as a musician. We often are at the recitals of our colleagues to show them support, and let's face it, to pad the audience as they do for us to make it look like we have more people there. But how often do we go to a recital or a concert just to be inspired by the music?

This past weekend, I went to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with my cousin-in-law and her father, an avid piano player in his free time. I've haven't been to a professional solo piano recital since I was a little girl at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. The soloist, Maurizio Pollini, has won a Grammy for his recording of Chopin's Nocturnes, and to Uncle Marc, he's a lifelong hero.

I originally was attending because Uncle Marc and Monica had asked me to, and because it was a free chance to see a concert at the Symphony Center. I wasn't very familiar with Chopin as he doesn't really translate to the harp, and I thought a two hour concert of all solo piano music would be boring. When I arrived and the program said he was doing 24 preludes in a row, I knew it would be nap time.

Then when Pollini opened with 2 Nocturnes-it was absolutely breathtaking. Completely flawless, gentle, delicate, emotional, technically brilliant-I was in awe the entire concert. I enjoyed listening to music for the first time in years. I didn't feel the need to know the harmonic patterns, to see his fingers, to review his stage presence. And I thought about just how long it has been since I allowed a fellow musician to inspire me instead of sitting through the concert criticizing and forming opinions on every note. After years of college recitals, and watching concerts just to support a friend, it felt refreshing to relax and enjoy music without needing to form an opinion, congratulate someone, overlook catastrophes, and second guess whether my reaction to it would decide if I was a competent musician.

I forgot what it was like to have a goal to sound better than you can ever be. I forgot that getting through something without mistakes isn't enough, nor is being expressive enough to cover your mistakes. I forgot that the whole package includes incredibly high standards both for yourself and others.

I remembered that I want to be an inspiration. I want my music to be beautiful, not nice, my technique to be flawless, not good, and my emotions to be transparent, not contained. I was reminded why I love to play, and that it's not because I need to learn 65 notes by Saturday or be fired. I recognized the massive reward this man must have felt to have all of his hard work and tireless hours spent on these pieces pay off in the form of a wildly receptive and appreciative audience and a flawless performance.

It's easy to forget in all the hours of rehearsals, lessons, practicing, and tedious gigs that we are musicians because we have the ability to share our emotions and talents with others through our instruments. My thanks to Mr. Pollini for reminding me.