YOUTH WORSHIP TEAM
A NEW YEAR OF POSSIBILITIES ! | Vance & Michelle Shepherd
So many people make New Year ’ s resolutions , and the start of a new year is a great time to have motivational talks with our students on setting new goals for themselves . How valuable is the amount of time in every single day , and how fast life goes by ! If our students commit to a time slot each day toward their musical goals and keep it every day until next year at this time , how much more advanced they will be ! If they can commit and do this for just one year , they would more than likely continue being goal minded and time-aware for the rest of their lives .
Ok … but can anyone say “ video games and social media ?” It ’ s an epidemic . As music teachers , we see this as a constant struggle between parents and their children . Whenever a student is not excelling in their music studies , I ask them what they did with their time throughout the week . I ’ ll ask , “ Did you play video games ?” They ’ ll smile and say with excitement , “ Yeah !” When I ask how long , their answer is typically anywhere from 2-5 hours per day . Wow ! I then encourage the parents to consider only letting them play video games for half as long as they practice their music . The student looks horrified at this suggestion , while the parent gets that “ aha !” moment . If the parent then sets these ground rules in their home , it ’ s at that point we start to see the students excel very quickly in their musical studies ( and it ’ s not just music , but grades in school that excel also ). And the younger they are , the more this strategy works .
Setting a solid foundation for learning and goal setting is crucial at a young age . The older the child is , the harder it is to set these rules , due to them not being under the parent ’ s watchful eyes as much . It ’ s interesting that we always hear the same thing from musicians , “ I ’ m so glad my parents made me practice and continue in music ”. On the other hand , we ’ ll hear from nonmusical people , “ I wish my parents wouldn ’ t have let me give up on music ”.
Maybe you ’ re a teenager or young adult reading this article , and you ’ re in a place in life where you mostly manage your schedule outside of school . I want to encourage you to think about this coming year and take inventory of the time you have in every day , and where and how you spend that time . Then think about your goals and desires . This year , could you commit at least one hour out of your day , taking steps to achieve your musical goals or other studies ? We find that it ’ s good to make it the same time slot in every day , either the first thing in the morning ( so it for sure gets done ), or the same time every afternoon . It doesn ’ t matter what time it is , just make it an everyday thing . Maybe consider only spending half as much time on social media and video games as you do on your musical studies .
If we could grasp the potential of the amount of time we have in one year – 8,760 hours to be exact , and then discipline ourselves to commit to achieving a specific goal in that year , we
could quite literally change the world ! If you do this for one year , you ’ ll be blown away by what you ’ ve accomplished . And quite likely this goal setting method will become a lifestyle for you . I ’ m confident that if you implement this mindset and take charge of your time as a young person , you will be incredibly successful and satisfied into the latter years of adulthood . And you ’ ll be an inspiration for so many people . We should all consider setting aside time in every day to sharpen our skills for the glory of God so we can do the amazing ministry that He has made us for . We wish you a successful , happy and inspired 2023 !
May you be blessed as you pour into or become the next generation of worship leaders and musicians !
Vance & Michelle Shepherd Founders of The Shepherd School of Music in Las Vegas , NV , where they work with youth to raise up the next generation of worship leaders and musicians . facebook . com / shepherdschoolofmusiclasvegas www . ShepherdStudiosLV . com