Welcome to the live your purpose podcast featuring compelling interviews with big-hearted people me Oklahoma City metro area who are leading creating and innovating on purpose get inspired by conversations with passion and difference makers from our local community. I'm your host Charles Gossett life purpose coach and founder of full integration coaching.On today's episode. We sit down with Levi to Bronski a talented Orchestra director and dedicated music education Champion for students of all agents, and now the live your purpose podcast. Welcome to the live your purpose podcast. I'm here today with Levi to bring ski who is the orchestra director at Putnam City West high school and in his seventh year of teaching he serves as the chairman of orchestras for all Putnam City schools. And as the Director of the silver strings of Putnam City, Oklahoma is only strolling Orchestra now in its 31st concert season in 2020 Putnam City Orchestra program will be traveling to London on invitation from the Lord mayor of Westminster to participate in the London New Year's Day. Music Festival Levi has also served as the State president for the Collegiate Oklahoma music educators Association and as concertmaster for the symphony and chamber orchestra at the University of Central Oklahoma in 2018. He was named the Oklahoma music educators Association Young music educator of the year for the state of Oklahoma Levi, welcome to the show. That's pleasure to be here. Thanks for having me. I'm so excited to have you and so as you may know we start each episode with a kickoff. Question and you've picked your so we'll just do that and see where the conversation Texas sounds great. What makes you want to get out of bed in the morning for me. What really makes me excited to get up every single day. Of course my lovely wife my five month old baby girl Sadie my lovely family and great friends, but really it's just the students that I serve every single day thinking of all hundred and sixty of them that I interact with every day thinking of where they come from thinking of their lives. Thinking of what they bring to the table each day as they come to school. I'm kind of excited every day just to see see where they are that they're sharing in that life experiences. I'm sharing in mind with them and together we get to make music every single day and either a very elementary style or in a more advanced style. So really just enjoy that human interaction with my students and seeing how they live and getting to create with them every day. Yeah. Well in anybody who's ever seen you met you in person or seeing you your students can can testify to that, you know, I know that I've known that about you for several years now as long as I've known you and to see your passion every time that you're in front of your kids. It's very obvious. And so what got you to that point what how did you pursue music and music education specifically and what sort of your backstory there sure and it's really a complex set up. My mother was a teacher. She was a third grade teacher in the same school district. I really love those Summers. I got to spend in her classroom helping her make bulletin boards helping her to organize books on the shelf or or sort papers and do some of the fun things the logistical things that you know, eight nine ten year old guy just loves to do to help their mom with their job feeling really special and and like they're doing something and didn't really want to pursue music but always just had a passion for it loved playing it played it from when I was young with my grandpa taking, you know piano lessons taught me to play the Guitar also took voice lessons just all kind of things enjoyed making music didn't ever really see it. See it being a part of my career. I'd say honestly until I was a junior or senior in high school. When I started helping my Orchestra teacher at that time Molly bought put MC North Teach an elementary class. And then also I was really involved with silver strings, ironically the group I get to conduct and get to direct now that's such a cool story that we can go into but just really and Guevara teaching teacher Academy City West before me and just really took me under her wing and kind of took me to some of the state level things and kind of got my foot started in that and and let me start dabbling and seeing what an orchestra teachers life looked like and went to college at UCO and really was hooked ever since so, yeah, so some of it really started at an early age when you were able to help your mom in the classroom and some of that Uncle support and and and then there was this time in between where Maybe music wasn't you didn't see that as a career option, but for those that may be listening in and curious what were some of your other career paths or degree options that you were thinking through. Oh man. I had I went back and forth between them. Of course the the early days of I'm going to be a doctor and I really wanted to do that. My mom has always had some health problems in her life. And so I think looking back and analyzing that I was trying to kind of be a fixer. Of that in that early in that early path that kind of moved over to wanting to do something with math. Maybe Finance maybe wanting to get involved in statistics something that's that more numbers based which I really loved and still have a passion for I loved I loved math i minored in it at at UCO, but just kind of wavered back and forth even went down the the the math teacher route for a little while and and was going to have that as a backup in case I ever got Tired of the orchestra thing, but it just now I'm really glad that I chose the route that I went down and just I couldn't see myself doing anything else. Yeah, absolutely. Well that's really fascinating to know and so I don't want to take us down too many rabbit Trails, but I'm curious about the mathematical component and how that relates to music. Do you find some of that Drive-In that interest in mathematics realized in music education, so absolutely and that's Think what you know, you can pick any study you want the shows that music and in the high-performing students are a corollary and I think I think math is a big part of that, you know, even if you take the basic structure of a measure that's in 4/4 time that has four beats. Will we get to talk about fractions, you know in fourth grade and how adding two of those quarter notes together make a half because 2/4 equals 1/2 and so it really it does supplement a lot of what they're getting in. other classes and then when you get to a more advanced level and you get to high school and you look at phrase structures of being eight measures versus maybe 16 measures and it might change based on the type of the piece really does tie a lot back to to math and how the notes and the phrases and everything work together and really make what each piece is that we listen to so, yeah, and there's so many different aspects to your role rolls plural really but you've got the instructional components where you're actually teaching the It's musical skills in a variety of ways and then you have also the performance and these appear to me as an amateur musician as someone who plays by ear and has a history of you know, playing guitar and singing and I played violin when I was younger. Hey, it's awesome. I didn't know that. Yeah, I did through the sixth grade awesome. And then I picked up the keyboard and guitar in my teenage years. So came back to it myself. That's great. Yeah, and it's instrumental in my life as well. That's a good one punch. Intended but so yeah in those different roles that you have what I'm trying to get to is what do you find most rewarding and if you'd like most challenging about you know, when you're in front of your students in their at a performance for example, or maybe they're at a contest, you know, and they're being scored or judged versus in the classroom teaching them new skills. Sure. I think it's really interesting. You mentioned that I was just thinking along those lines and the past month. It's so tough on that concert. Stage, you know, we have a great music Community here in Oklahoma City here in the state really especially for orchestra. We are very tight-knit community of directors and but it's so difficult to put your group that you've spent days and months preparing something, you know, those kids, you know them on a little more personal level. I mean some of my high schoolers I've taught since sixth grade now, it's see them as Juniors and seniors. So, you know what struggles that are going through, you know, what what successes they're achieving and then it All culminates to one moment when they're on the stage and you know, we talk so much about how to make that moment worth it but it's really difficult to lay that in the hands of somebody that's sitting in a chair that you know, definitely has the credentials and definitely has the expertise to give an appropriate rating. But at the same time they don't know all that backstory, you know, and as I've taught my favorite things aren't maybe necessarily the concerts. I love them. I love showing off what the kids are doing. And how well they're achieving and how much they've worked. But for me, I like that journey, I like that that from that first read of that music and all the mistakes that are made and all the things and the details that aren't noticed to then crafting it over a month month and a half two months sometimes of performance and every students individualized practice and seeing that growth. And so I think sometimes when we get on that concert stage, it's it's a lot more than what the normal person might think is is on that stage. Age it goes back. It goes deeper into those students lives and into how much time each one of them individually has has poured into that. So it is kind of a tough balance for just a normal concert goer that might be coming to listen to their kids or another student another performing group versus myself or other music educators that get to see that that process right? Yeah. There's a whole lot going on behind the scenes by the time that you get to as the average. Concertgoers as by the time that we actually get to that performance all of these hours all of these struggles all of these achievements that have gone on behind the scenes and then you get everybody together at the same time after all those rehearsals and it's go time and you have really just one chance to do it at that point and so right and so that's good for our audience to know those that may not realize that about music and music performance. I did want to come back and pick up the thread from the silver strings also. There's some of these same components there. You have the rehearsals you have the performance but you know, there's there wasn't something really unique and several unique things about the silver Strings program and just wanted to give you a couple minutes to talk about the absolutely and for those people that don't know what Silver Springs is. It's a it's a strictly strolling Orchestra. So your normal aspect your normal take on Orchestra might be chairs and stands people sitting on a stage performing with a conductor waving a baton clapping very formally Bravo at the And silver strings is almost a hundred eighty from that. It still is great playing but we don't Focus mainly on the classical repertoire original written for curricular repertoire. We play everything this year's show from the Jonas Brothers to one direction to Elvis Presley. I mean everything in between there's great writing and arrangements for those pieces and and I really feel Silver Springs is the community face of Orchestra. It's at least for Putnam City in our district and it really kind of branches out and makes that crossover from somebody who's willing to come to a devoted orchestra concert to somebody who might just be walking around Bricktown or walking around downtown Oklahoma City and then they they come across a group playing and they're playing from memory walking around without chairs without stands with smiles on their faces engaging with the audience one on one, you know, two or three feet from an actual. It just really kind of I think personalizes that orchestral and musical experience for them. And oh man I could go on for days about the backside of what it does for students getting them to perform that close to people in their Community getting to see some of the people in their Community whether it be when we play at a nursing home facility some of those those individuals that don't get to experience that type of concert very often or just to somebody who's maybe never even heard a cello or a viola. Maybe they've heard of Violin or a base in other contexts, but but it's walking around downtown that just hears music. So it really does a lot to connect our community to our art form and and a great service to our students allowing them to connect those two for themselves as well. Right? And so I of course I'm very supportive and we have a daughter that's in the program and we've been to lots of the performances and one of the interesting things to about the silver strings is that they do an annual All event or they're part of an annual event a 5k. Yes on the 4th of July. Did you want to talk just a little bit? Ooh. Yes. It's the Stars and Stripes Forever. 5K. We do it here at Lake Hefner or we're even looking at maybe changing that location the future because we have so many Runners four or five hundred Runners a great running Community here in Oklahoma City and a hundred percent of those proceeds from that 5K benefit the silver strings with the logistical costs of music of providing students uniforms of going. Directly also into student scholarship accounts. That's what I love about what we're able to do with with silver strings is any money that we take from any performance venue a hundred percent of that money gets put right back into students where they're able to earn money for music camps for instruments for private lessons for trips or even art or that we set up every other year to go around the region outside of Oklahoma and play and so it's really neat to teach And said that young age that their instrument can be a way of provision for them in ways. Not just that our curricular or at school is not just a grade. I mean you're earning actual scholarship credit for the work that you're doing in the community. So they get that that payback they receive that Kickback from what they're doing for the community in a way that supports them and grows and it's just it becomes X is an exponential at that point and it's great to see how it goes. Yeah, and you know on that point with all The the opportunities that are afforded to students that are involved in Putnam City orchestral programs. You know, we mentioned the London trip that's coming up. Yes, 2020 and did you want to share a little bit on that? I would love to it's a fabulous event just was approached from one of the one of the people that are involved in that parade and music festival. Saw what we were doing. We were very impressed with how we were growing our programs and the quality of performances that we've been producing and Silver Springs and in general at the high schools and offered us that invitation we graciously have accepted and really the rest is history. We're really excited. We're taking a hundred and seven students are almost 40 adults going as well to chaperone to perform this December 29th. I thinks the date and London that we're going to perform and it's really is changing the shape of our students. I mean, they've been able to play Out on the community with silver strings or play at their schools with generalized concerts, but having that opportunity to go abroad to perform and I'm excited for the culture that they're going to get to experience over there. Not just in the people, but in that they can take what they've developed in their life and what they've worked on and and share that with somebody that they might never have the opportunity to interact with before and it's really going to be an exciting event and That really our whole Community is really behind it and excited for for this opportunity, you know, not just showing off the kids, but for the growing that's going to happen to those students because of it, right and I love that perspective on a personal level and I'm sure a lot of listeners are going to really appreciate what you've just shared here. There's a cultural exchange that happens through things like this and there's a shaping that happens for both the performer the student and those that are you know in the audience or a part of the the Sure that's receiving this event and this music that's a part of it. And I know that in our house, we talked a lot about how music can take you places. Yes, and that can be metaphorically and in your imagination but also like we're talking about right now physically literally can take you places it can help you to get to college and be able to pay for college and before you get there and guess what it can take you to London it can take you to Branson it can take you to Norman or still water or whatever else that may travel to but all of these Opportunities to engage with Community to have a cultural exchange to learn something about yourself as you're performing and developing your musical skills. Absolutely. And and I think you hit the nail on the head that it's more than just what we're sharing it. It's that physical where it could take you and I reflect back every year and my finale concert. I print all the seniors pictures put them on the window in my office and underneath it. It's what's your plans? How are you going to keep playing and share something awesome that you learn from your high school experience and it's really cool to see that and see how students have taken and shaped what they've learned from work sure what they've learned even from other classes and really just package it into something and then in that then that program at the end of the year seeing that scholarship number of you know students that have 300 400 last year. We had four hundred and sixty thousand dollars worth of scholarship money with nine seniors that were at PC West High School and Just getting to see that figure. We were over a million dollars in scholarship money for the district for the seniors that were in our district. And that's really special knowing that those students are going to be able to continue. Even if they're not continuing in music that music gave them that Gateway and allowed them the opportunity to study something else and they'll always take it and on that on that point. I'll say one more thing it I encourage my students to be Music Makers even if they're going to be nurses or or if they're going to go into, you know, a lot of session even if they're going to try to be an entrepreneur and pursue something that's completely a hundred percent away from music in some way that they don't ever see themselves playing professionally always make music and just create that because I on a personal belief that music just ties us together culturally and it just reminds us of our humanism and who we are and and our humanity and and that no matter what beliefs we have or how anything affects us. We have that. That commonality we can all sing. We can all produce we can we need a guitar to back. Like you said we need you to play while your wife is singing or while I'm playing violin or likewise and that bridges that gap between us no matter what our backgrounds are. So yeah, I love that too. And you know as I've experienced and I'm sure you have to there's been those moments where I had a guitar somebody else had a guitar and they didn't speak the we didn't speak the same language. They didn't speak English, right and speaking of Spanish or German or whatever language it might be but we could play a Beatles song together. Yes, you know what I'm saying? So would you like to share you know, because we're talking about crossing boundaries and how you know, the universality of music as a language as a way of connecting to our core Humanity maybe a couple of experiences that you've had with music and those ways absolutely one. I could think back to college when I was just playing in a western swing group that we created at the school and a couple even a couple guys were Not from the school, but we just got together and played old. You know, Bob Wills Tunes Western swing some gypsy jazz kind of stuff. And so we decided that we were going to play at a at a at a folk music festival that was in another state. I think it was in Kansas City at the time and we stopped to eat barbecue and there was a gentleman there and he just he was picking guitar, you know eating on a rib picking guitar in the barbecue restaurant that was kind of a hole in the wall and Kansas City and we just had dialogue with him and you know, Found out his name. His name was Earl. I remember his name and we said hey Earl, come play us a tune here. We're a band. We've got insurance in the car. We talked to the proprietor of the restaurant and you know barbecue fingers and all we rinse them and grabbed instruments and 30 45 hour and 45 minutes hour later. We were jamming and and just creating music with with a complete stranger that we had just met in a different state and a different city and just, you know, having fun harmonizing with him as he as he played the guitar and you know, I filled in lakes. violin and my friend Harvey would fill in base like it was it was a cool experience and kind of something that as we as we kept driving to our final destination or hotel that night just just hit me like this is somebody that we will probably never see again that we would have never run into and just a normal way of life, but we share that moment together and we were able to create music and and that's really my goal for our for our students to whether it be a worship band at their place of worship or whether it be a family event that needs music or whether it be a really anything in their life that they have that that ability to play something or to even if it's plan for their for their child. My little five-month-old. I love getting out my violin and playing for Sadie playing my guitar for you know, just making those sounds that she smiles too and that she she can react to knowing that someday. Hopefully she'll sing with me and we can create music as a family. So it just really wraps all back to what you said that that humanistic approach of really seeing each other for not just what's in front of us, but On a deeper level it certainly is and I can attest to being able to sing along or play music with a family member my dad plays guitar as well. And he plays a lot of folk tunes and things like this songs that I may or may not have known beforehand, but he has granted me access to another culture another place in time and music has that capacity to to speak Beyond or through generations and to be able to share that with in your family. And so we've worked back and forth to communicate. And ways that we normally we never would have met been able to talk so directly as music allows us to do and that's one of the things that music, you know, you can try to put up your guards but it's like a good poem. It's going to come right through you if you're paying attention to it exactly and I'll share another story from that like my stepdad, you know, he's I don't use the term stepdad. He's my dad. He's been a great part of my life Sergio's his name and he plays guitar plays classical guitar. And and so I was at a young age as he played he Sing it local, you know Mexican restaurants and and just loved all those those classic Latin folk songs. He sung them all the time and it at home and even even for birthdays would you know, I get the Happy Birthday song and I get less money Anita switches the you know, the the the traditional happy birthday from Latin American countries, and so it was really cool my first year teaching at the middle school where we had a student that was Hispanic that had a birthday where I got seeing them. Happy birthday and went straight into lost money on. Anita's and their reaction I won't forget just because mr. Dabrowski. How do you know that song? Well, hey I do because my dad saying it to me and you know having that it really can break down cultural barriers to I think and allowing us to see how each culture celebrates in different ways and just that little touch of of singing to that student in a way that even their parents could have sunk to them and happens all the time in the music that we select if we select, you know, we're playing a piece right now called Sahara Sahara dreams, I think is what it's called. It's a it's a great piece for an intermediate Orchestra. And it has kind of that that sound of you know, Northern Africa kind of that that Egyptian sound if you will that really defines that that region and we're able to have those discussions about about what that comes from. What are the traditional instruments that are played in those countries and and why we play that that strange augmented second of what it's called a technical term for what gives it that sound and and so they can kind of connect the what the here with the cultural aspect with the technical and it's a cool blending and a marriage of all three. Yeah, and they're getting to engage physically with you know, they have the intellectual they have the emotional they have the deeper level understanding the cultural relevance the history and then they're actually performing their engaging it. Yes. And so, you know, they have their narrative that's going on. They have the teaching that you're giving them. Their own interpretations are coming through that music, which is another gift I think. Absolutely, and that's that's the one thing that I do love about the concert because you can see that interaction from students. You can see them as they're moving and playing that they're that they're really going through that dialogue and they're creating that visual image in the form of music and sharing it with the audience and it's so neat because we can all have our own opinions of what that mental movie is that's going on as we're playing our music and then as they as it Blends together, it creates something completely different. That the audience gets so it's a great way to just really bring us together. Yeah, totally one of the things that you've mentioned a couple of times now is about your your goal and your really intention to have students be I wrote down lifetime Music Makers. Yes, but above all to be Music Makers to continue in one way shape or form and I know I speak from personal experience when I put down the guitar for a while. I had some, you know some trouble in my life some addiction. Sure, it was really hard to pick up the guitar because I was just suffering so strongly and that guitar meant so much to me before and now it really didn't you know through depression Etc. But man when I when I started into recovery and picked it back up again, I was like I've been missing you, you know, and I can't tell you that how many folks that I work with whether it's you know, art or volunteering or you know, having deep conversations with loved ones, but a lot of folks that I've worked with or in talks that I give have missed music. You know, I took piano lessons when I was younger and I gave it up and you've heard all the reasons why yes all of them and so many times hearing the students come in either when they come back and visit the school and they were maybe my student in middle school. Now, they've graduated only had a couple years of that but mr. Burski. I really wish I played more that sixth grader that didn't choose to continue in seventh grade. That's now a senior that comes to me and says, mr. Bronski. I really want to jump back in and we try Thing to get them to be able to but you know and we have a student this year. That's come back after not playing for three years just because she wants to and and she's picked it right back up and and it's so neat to see her. You know that that student come to me and say mr. Pinsky. I missed this I missed the the Performing I missed the community I missed the culture I missed what we were creating together and it's neat to see even a high school student understand that that they can they can feel that and that they can Can find a way to plug themselves back in to something that they feel they're missing in their life. Yeah, I love that, you know a big part of music for me and I think for you, I'm hearing the same similar language the word that I'm using is it's meaningful. Yes, you know, it's about music making is about making meaning also and it's a way not only to express which is extremely important. You know, what you're feeling what you're thinking and idea, you know going against the status quo or saying why we should stay within the status quo or Whatever the message is, but it's also about connection about something Beyond language or maybe underneath language emotions are involved but there's something ethereal or you know, just just human from way back in our history. That's right there in music and for so many folks that do go back and they decide to pick it back up again. I know I have stories but I just wanted you shared one, but are there other folks that you can share that either they've gone back to music when they missed it for a while or or you can choose the path. With or they've continued on with music in there. So glad that they did. Absolutely. I mean I think of I think of one of my students who's currently at the University working on a music Ed degree and thinking back to when I I taught them privately before I even was, you know, certified and taught my first day and a public classroom. I taught them just they come to my grandparents house and my grandparents had a piano so we used it. I brought my violin and we had music lessons together as gentleman's name is Dalton and just being able to To see him on his path now and how he struggled with a growth spurt in his life. He grew seven or eight inches over the course of just a few months. I mean very very rapid growth and it affected his playing it affected his intonation, but we overcame those obstacles and he still really had a passion for music and now I think he's a junior or senior at UCO. I haven't reached out to him and few months probably been close to a year now, but like he he really overcame that obstacle and and he kept going and he kept that that passion and he's gotten better and he's overcome some performance anxiety and overcome some some obstacles to really get to where he needs to be so that he can share and that's that's I think the greatest thing of this whole cyclical process kind of taking it down another Rabbit Trail in education. We've done I think a great job in the last few years of focusing more on individualizing students experience in education and working. As Educators to make sure that individual students matter and that every one of them is having growth instead of just teaching to a middle or a top or a bottom. We're finding those students individually and making sure that every one of them are growing and they might all be growing at different rates, but they're moving and I think Dalton the the student I referenced it's a great example of that that he he had an obstacle and he didn't let it overcome him and we addressed it individually and he rose through it and then he realized that he was going to have to practice a lot more than he ever had then during that time to figure it out and to get to that level and then as he went into college, you know, the rigor of University versus high school that he was going to have to step it up more and and how he chose to interact with that and what he shared with me about that it I think it really speaks to the good things that we're doing in education making sure that every student matters and that that gives them that inner drive in that inner inner. Inner Vision that they can accomplish their goals because they've been given individualized backing if that makes any sense, I think so. Yeah because it meets people where they're at. Yes, and you know in the work that I do with people on an everyday basis I use the word narrative a lot. We have storytelling Minds, you know, that's how we create our reality and then you know, what we do about that is is a matter of you know, life growth and obstacles that we face and how we shift and shape that Active as a result. And so what I'm hearing is that this end of through individualized education and individualized plans for students, like you've just mentioned There's an opportunity to meet them right exactly where they're at. They're still getting outstanding education, of course that hasn't changed but it's more individualized for exactly what they really need to help them get from point A to B to C to D. And so in Dalton's example, he went through this growth spurt. That was a it was a like a disrupted experience in his life. He was met by instructors in his life people in his life that wanted him to continue to succeed and equipped him and is what I'm hearing with those skills with the emotional support with the other aspects that would enable and Empower him to do so and these are the results, you know that he's able to be more resilient he's able to persevere and he knew it was it would work because he was convinced it made sense to him. It was me. For the instruction that he received. Yes, and I think you hit the nail on the head with meaning when students see that the education that they're getting is Meaningful and they can make that connection takes us back to Silver strengths when they when they're able to see a yard from them, you know, just just a few Paces from them the power of the music that they're creating and how it's making someone smile or it might be taking them from whatever emotion they were in today to just a brief a brief minute of women. Sitting in a song that they hear or or just being met with a smiling face that's creating music like it. It makes it real to that student that what they're producing is really affecting change on somebody else. If I say anything about the the current state of students at least where I teach right now, it's that all of them want to make change happen whether it be on a small scale or a big scale and being able to do that with their instruments. Using everyday what I'm getting to provide to them in the form of, you know, technique and pedagogy if you will on their instruments that that really I see an inspiration in them that makes them want to work harder and improve more and then it just becomes just an exponential response. Then the more that they improve the more that they're able to to get that emotion out of people or affect more people through their playing and and I'm sure this goes across every single discipline. I just say it in music because it's what I'd you know, eat sleep and breathe air. All the time is those students that are in that in those musical trenches doing the work of hours and hours in the practice room for that very emotion that Their audience gives to them in the form of feedback or just a smile and the case of Silver Springs. So yes, that meaning peace is really key. Yeah, and then, you know, we all want to know that we matter. So to have an impact is to see that I have an effect on other people. So when the students can see that I've seen it too and the feeling as a teacher as a parent or as you know an audience member sometimes to see a student validated that they matter that they made a difference if it's a if it's an exciting difference that they've made or a, you know, an emotional difference of another kind or whether it's a thoughtful one. Like I didn't I didn't think about interpreting that piece that way how interesting, you know, just a way to think. Differently about it absolutely and how it really can be so life-changing. I'll give you another example of a student that graduated a few years ago. Whose just wrapping up I think down at OU and Norman he really was inspired to be better in music. When he was in eighth grade, his name is Santana and he was he had the opportunity to he shared some of this these details with me because I asked the class in general to respond in writing on what really perks you up about music. What makes you you know, kind of like with our leadoff question what makes you get your instrument out of its case and and his response was that when he was in eighth grade. There was an individual whose name was Nick who performed and it made made an incredible impact on Santana and he happened to sing to him during one of the singing songs and you know and and played a solo in one of the sections that really just spurred on and Santana's mine. Like wow this this really has meaning this. This is a cool thing that I want to do. Well, I mean Santana got lots of money to go to college through his instrument and also was a three-year all-stater in his instrument and and you know, I I don't know if I've ever even personally made the connection between those two. I mean, they're both they're both friends of mine. I know Nick and I taught Santana even though I did, you know friends with Nick and different relationship with Santana, but I don't know if I've even never made the connection that hey Nick, do you realize that you impacted this students life so much and now that they're both in their 20s plus I don't know if nickel ever know that story. I'm after this after this podcast. I think I'm going to message him tonight because I I've ever shared that with him. But how many of those type of connections never get narrated? They never get shared and and I think that's important for our students to see that just because it's not Glitz and glamour of being publicized or or you know, you don't make the front page of the paper holding your instrument, you know playing a red Solo that they really can make a difference in somebody's life. That's bigger than anything. I mean that that inspiration that Santana had in 8th grade. I think lead in part. If not in do part to some of the success that he was able to achieve through his scholarship offering in music. And so, you know, if did Nick think about that as a high schooler playing for an eighth grader probably not on that level, but that's the the power of music and the power of what being really connected and giving it your all and caring about everything that you do can have absolutely and Great example, you know that the title of this intentionally of of this podcast series is live your purpose and I'm hearing a lot of purpose, you know, when we really get deep into our purpose. There's a lot of passion there. There's a lot of connection a lot of meaningfulness all comes together. I'm hearing it come through your language right now, you know, and I'm inspired. I'm literally inspired. I'm thinking you're going to go back and contact, you know these folks and let them know and it speaks again for me to your passion and your commitment and your or just your drive to be an excellent teacher and to care about these kids and and and set them on the right track and these formative years. So just really have just been say that I guess well, thanks. I mean, I just it's not work. It's just it's it's fun. I love getting to see them as I said before getting to see them mold and shake them shape themselves into different creatures, you know, they they come as freshmen and as as years go on I get to see more seniors. Wait, and it's becoming more emotional for me because I knew them earlier, you know, this is in my seventh year of teaching being this year. My sixth graders are our seniors of that first year. And so that full seven-year sequence from 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th grade is here and those remembering back to those 6th graders and how much their lives have changed and of course factors have come in and and some of them had, you know a little bit little bit Jagged erode between those two dots and then others but but still seeing them be able to be the people that they are it's exciting and I'm excited for the future of you know, 10 years from now. What are those? What are those students going to be doing? You know, how are they going to be using music? How are they going to even be using just the things that they've learned from music and and the discipline of practice or the understanding that they're not going to play it perfectly that we aim for Perfection, but we'd sometimes don't get it but it's that Journey, and it's that that that mindset that we have of aiming for that that really takes us somewhere. I'm excited to see I mean it's an exciting road to live down because you get to see those those students Beyond where they quote unquote finish at the end of their senior year. Yeah. That's one of the things with what I do is that I travel with somebody in their life over. Let's see her, you know three to four months and sometimes longer but it's usually for a limited period of time where they try to get from point A to point B in their life, whatever that may be and to see them do it. It's the same thrill that I'm hearing that you get. I was a TA for a while in the classroom and did some mentoring and was a in Youth Ministry for a while and youth praise band leader and all the electronics and electric guitar and all that and the really loud music and and all that. It's the same thrill. It's that it's that kick that for me. This is my story as a recovering alcoholic that I used to get from like whiskey or you know those things. Instead of escaping Now, it connects me. Yeah to something that really really matters. And so I wanted to hit this because I wrote a little note to myself to do this is that for those folks out there that are listening they may be students. They may be parents. They may be other teachers or they may just be folks that you know, they left their art. They left their music behind somewhere and they're starting to think about. Well, what how can I possibly go pick up? You know the piano again or get back at the guitar or our start singing again? Do you have some tips or Some ideas where people can just take some baby steps and get back to it. I do and I think we're in a great age here in 2019 of having resources to make that happen. I mean so many times now my students are coming to me with interpretations of the music. We're playing from YouTube, you know, or that they've heard or seen and so I would just encourage any listener or anyone like go and find what you want, you know, if you want to play guitar go find a guitarist that you like and listen to them and then search how to fill in the blank and there's probably some great content out there from from entrepreneurs that are just wanting to be providers of that material online or even some that, you know, some of the companies have have dove into e-learning and those type of things, but I would just say Jump Right In and watch a video even if you don't have a guitar yet, you know that that mental mindset of seeing that practice even if you're practicing in the air, you know being able to get that in place and save up and invest in kind of, you know can maybe commit to something, you know save up from a couple paychecks and buy that guitar and then you have it in your hands and it doesn't have to be the you know in violent language the Stratovarius of of instruments, you know, it doesn't have to be something that's that's A flashy or or really well-made just something that you can get in your hand and that you can you can make music with and then I'd also say two more than the digital aspect. That's the easy part find a community in your local area. That doesn't mean here on the stream side. We have a community Orchestra. We have Bluegrass jams that happen right here in Oklahoma City, you know, we have even a group of players that get together and play steel guitar down in Del City every month. I mean reach out, you know reach out and social media find a group get connected and then then show up and learn just by watching and Learn by by experimenting what I love about that Community is that there's no judgment in those groups. It's just people that like we've spoken about all night our are finding their purpose in music and and expressing it with friends with with people maybe that they don't even know that show up to the gym and play but don't Afraid that you are not adequate or you know, I haven't played in so long. Well, the only way to change that is by starting day one today and it's what I tell my students every single time that you know, we have a big audition coming up for students and mr. Bronski. I haven't practiced. Well, the only way to change that is right now and this very moment you don't even need to talk to me any longer go hop in the practice room because after you do that, you can't say that anymore. Because now you're practicing so, you know find that e-content find a community and dive in and and I mean it's if you follow that I think you're going to be able to find some success I think so too and I speak from experience like I'm listening to your advice and I'm thinking yep. Yep. Yep, because when I started guitar put it down for a little bit in my teenage years and then I went to college and there was an opportunity to play a lot more there was a lot more people around and and some of them were musically inclined and I thought you know what I'm going to learn. Some music that I love to listen to and so for me, I went out and got a real simple Beatles chord book. Yeah, and just I just tried to play him the best I could and I hurt my fingers a lot, you know until I got the calluses it always happens on the string side of things as mr. Dabrowski. My fingers are hurting and it's real if it hurts an adult's fingers. It's but it's one of those one of those steps tools that you got to get past. Right? So, you know lowering those barriers that you might have out there anyone listening to this if If whatever your resistance is look for ways to move around the resistance. If you really want to do this, if you are passionate about music and missing it get back to it. That's the short answer right and then you've got about a dozen really great strategies that you can go back and listen to and write down and take action on right. So I love that. We're just about out of time. I try to keep these at about 45 minutes sure anything that we didn't hit our or like a closing message that you liked. Absolutely. I think I mean, an educator I have to say I have to plug the support your local education initiative and and that's not just on a you know, not just on a you know, education quote-unquote, but just pour into your teachers because it's it we give a lot of ourselves to our students and sometimes we give a little more than we can even replenish and so I would say that if you're passionate about something reach out to the people in your community, I would I would absolutely love for a musician that is passionate about music to knock on my door and my office at school and say hey, I used to play violin. What can I do? You know, I'd find something, you know for them to do with silver strings or even if they could they wanted to come and and and be our number one concert goer, you know, making sure that they know all of our events that they're plugged in just just reach out to your reach out to your Educators reach out to the people in your community and make sure That they're feeling supported and then the last thing I would say is just kind of goes along with the whole the whole theme of today. Just don't be afraid to take that step and don't start don't think starting something is too difficult. You know it I love that that adage of you know, a journey of a Thousand Miles starts with that one step. So take that one step. I encourage my students to take that one step every day. Even if they're fourth graders learning how to play the D string the first note they learn the first time or if they're trying to play a college audition Piece. It's that same step that's going to get you to that next level. So don't be afraid to take it and do it with purpose. Right? So you heard it here what we're going to end on that can't say anything else to that except for to Echo. What Levi to bring ski is just said get started support your teachers the way that you can do that you he's mentioned several ways to support. Teachers Mentor, you know what your skill set jump in there and volunteer be an advocate be a promoter share some events on social media and tell your friends about all the good stuff that's going on in your own Community. Exactly. And if you've missed music get back to it take that first step. It may be a long journey, but the first step is the first step and that's the hardest one to take. So get after it Levi. I want to thank you so much for sitting down with me today. I really appreciate it. Hey, sure. Enjoy. Thanks. having me You've been listening to the live your purpose podcast. I hope you've been inspired by my conversation with today's guests. If you like what you hear, please share with your social networks And subscribe so that you never miss an episode. I'm your host Charles Dawson life purpose coach and founder of full integration coaching. To learn more about the life coaching public speaking and Retreat services that I offer visit full integration coaching.com and you can follow along with me on Facebook and Instagram at full integration coaching until next time. Remember you are meant to live on purpose start living yours today.
My guest is Levi Dobrinski, the Orchestra Director at Putnam City West High School and Chairman of Orchestras for all Putnam City Schools. He is also the Director of the Silver Strings of Putnam City: Oklahoma’s only strolling orchestra, now in its 31st concert season. In 2020, the Putnam City Orchestra program will be traveling to London on invitation from the Lord Mayor of Westminster to participate in the London New Year’s Day Music Festival. Levi has served as the state president for the Collegiate Oklahoma Music Educator’s Association, and as concertmaster for the symphony and chamber orchestra at the University of Central Oklahoma. In 2018, he was named the Oklahoma Music Educators Association Young Music Educator of the Year for the state of Oklahoma. In this episode, Levi talks about how the love for his family and passion for his students motivates him in his roles as husband, father, and teacher. He describes the early influences on his life that inspired him to become a music teacher, and the path that ultimately led him to where he is today. Levi also shares about the power that music has to build understanding between cultures, improve academic outcomes for students, and provide opportunities to create meaningful change. Plus he gives heart touching stories of student successes as well as tips for getting back to music for those who regret leaving it behind. Connect with my guest: You can contact Levi Dobrinski through the Putnam City Schools website www.pcwest.putnamcityschools.org/ Resources mentioned in this episode: The Silver Strings of Putnam City www.facebook.com/thesilverstringsofputnamcity/ Stars & Stripes Forever 5K www.facebook.com/events/2352892168325105/ Press: Putnam City Orchestras London Trip www.oklahoman.com/article/5591373/three-putnam-city-orchestras-to-be-in-london-performances OMEA Outstanding Young Music Educator Award www.oklahoman.com/article/5571693/achievers Share and subscribe: Share this podcast https://www.fullintegrationcoaching.com/liveyourpurpose For more ways to share and subscribe https://anchor.fm/liveyourpurpose Thank you! 