Maurice Ravel’s song, “Bolero” is a popular classical music composition whose slow, deliberate beat might show up in the elevator music or as background music in a movie. It begins with the steady tap…tap…tap of the snare drum. Throughout the whole piece the beat never wavers.

My local community orchestra recently included “Bolero” in its fall music program. The drum is only one of several solos including the flute and piccolo. There’s also the clarinetist whose full tones spilled out from the stage to wrap us in a cozy cloak of sound.

The ending brings relief from the dramatic tension methodically built by the orchestra. What began so simply builds to a tremendous wall of sound created by the full force of the orchestra. Throughout it all, guiding the pace and the intensity is a single drum tapping the rhythm and moving the music steadily forward.

The Drummer

Two years ago, the drummer played with another orchestra that had “Bolero” on their program. They were counting on her to do as she had in this performance which was to anchor the whole orchestra with a very difficult part of the music.

For months she diligently practiced her part over and over again as she gained the physical stamina to maintain that steady pace for over fifteen minutes, the full length of the piece. Then she had to maintain control as she led the gradual crescendo that led to a spectacular ending. Tap…tap…tap.

But the plan went awry. At the last moment the other orchestra pulled out on her. After months of concentrated work, she was told, “I don’t exactly know how to say this but we’re going in a different direction. We won’t be able to use you.”

These heavy words fell hard on the musician and while they can be heavy at any time, these carried an extra burden. All that work went down the drain. Or so she thought.

A Change of Pace

There is a saying that there are three answers to prayer: “yes,” “no,” and “not now.” Sometimes what we get is better than what we wanted.

The drummer’s work was not for nothing. Her opportunity came and she was ready. She played a spectacular solo that set the pace for the whole orchestra and drew us all into her beautiful performance.

After the performance, the director acknowledged each solo player, but he held the drummer’s introduction until last. He told the audience that the drum was integral to the success of this song, and it was nothing without a good percussionist.

How much harder that performance would have been for the whole orchestra if this single person, the drummer, wasn’t in control of her craft. She was skilled. She knew this music. She was ready.

The drummer’s story dovetailed with a recent conversation I had with Ralph Skiano, principal clarinetist with the Detroit Symphony. His book Behind the Screen, succinctly maps the preparation required for a professional music audition – the showpiece of a musician’s skills and its preparation must be absolutely intentional.

Skiano’s focus is music but as I read his book, I realized that his crucial steps for preparation have a much broader application especially for anyone who wants to achieve a dream.

Decide on Your Goal

The first step of preparation is the decision to do “it,” whatever your dream or your goal might be.  Perhaps you never finished school because you stopped just a few hours short of your degree.

My friend Larry had a dream. He wanted to attend seminary, but he didn’t have the required college degree.  Through a remarkable series of events, not only was he accepted back into the program he had left years earlier, but the same professor was still teaching. He did not have to start from scratch. Larry had the dream and the dream embraced him, found a way to make it happen. He completed seminary and became a very effective minister.

If finishing school is a dream, even if it begins with earning your GED, it is possible to create a fuller life. A GED can open a lot of doors including getting an associates degree or a specialized certification at a community college.

What if reaching that dream not only makes you eligible for a better job but your employer might offer tuition assistance? Does that seem impossible? It’s not if that is your dream. Don’t discount yourself. There’s help. Don’t talk yourself out of a better future.

Commit

After you set your goal, the next step is to commit to it. Commitment is an internal action. It’s the way to get the ball rolling.

There is a page from an old calendar that I have kept taped to my desk lamp for over thirteen years.  “There is magic in setting goals. It sets into motion a powerful psychological, spiritual, and emotional force. Things begin to happen.”-Anonymous.

Practice

The next step is to practice the skills you need to achieve your dream. A musician spends an incredible number of hours playing the audition music over and over again until it is as easy as breathing.  That repetition works the skill into your muscle memory and then into your soul.

Practice can shift the knowledge you carry from your head to your heart. When that happens, you own it. It is yours and it comes with your unique take on whatever it is you are trying to achieve.

As many involved in sports know, the process of practice also crafts your character as you push yourself to discover your limits. Whether it is practicing at the swimming pool at 5:00 AM every morning or pushing yourself to run one more lap, the process shapes who you become.

I heard of a man who many years ago missed earning a place on the Olympic track team by just seconds. He said, “I may not have made the team, but I am an Olympian. I trained on the Olympic level. I never made it to the big time, but the process put me in the big game.”

It is the same whether you do shift work and know the ins and outs of your machine better than anyone else or if your computer skills guide you without thinking. Whatever your dream, keep honing your skills. They may be the key to open your next door.

And Finally, Perform

The  ultimate step is performance. Performance is the sum of skill, talent, and hard work. They come together to show just how good you are at what you do. It is a time to present your mastery of the task and  who you have become in the process.

For the auditioning musician, it is the moment when they stand alone on stage for their audition, proving they can perform to the orchestra’s standard. For others, it might be an opportunity that comes where you can showcase your skills in your work or a time where you can step out from the crowd and sing your song.

Dreams can change but it doesn’t mean they are lost. Ask the drummer. She well knows the dream might just show up in ways you would never expect.

Be ready.