This is part one of a two part series on the evolution of music education.
"Early yesterday morning, in a misty park in Vienna, Eliud Kipchoge ran a marathon in less than two hours. His time, 1:59:40, is the fastest any runner has ever covered 26.2 miles. Kipchoge carved two minutes off his previous world record and became the first marathoner to break the two-hour barrier. "
In a piece for The Atlantic author Paul Bisceglio notes that, "One hour and 59 minutes is fast in a way that's difficult to comprehend. Despite the formidable distance, Kipchoge ripped through each mile of his run in about four and a half minutes. This speed would feel like an all-out sprint to almost anyone who could keep up with him in the first place."
It's similar to Roger Bannister's historical feet of running a four-minute mile, but doing it TWENTY-SIX TIMES IN A ROW!
It wasn't quite an official marathon or record for that matter. Every detail was explicitly organized to help the runner break the two-hour barrier. Every detail was thought through, and orchestrated to give the runner his best chance at achieving his goal. Regardless of whether the record is official or not, the fact that Eliud Kipchoge actually completed a sub two-hour marathon is nothing short of astonishing. Some are calling it the greatest, fakest world record, but if you ask me, sprinting for two hours straight seems pretty darn real.
Kipchoge was not alone in his historical feet. This past weekend, Kenya's Brigid Kosgei won the Chicago Marathon on Sunday with a time of 2 hours 14 minutes 4 seconds, breaking the previous world record by 81 seconds.
Both runners credited their accomplishment to an advanced and systemic training regimen. One aimed not just at running fast, but aimed at breaking the boundaries of human performance.
Where will it end? Is there a finite capacity for what the human body can endure and accomplish? Is there a limit to how fast we can throw a baseball or run a marathon? Is there a hard ceiling to what how high we can jump or how much we can lift?
I suspect there is. I also suspect we have not seen that limit as of yet.
On a similar note, this morning, while at a teacher in-service, I spoke about being in awe of what kids are achieving in today's performing ensembles. Whether on a stage or a field, student achievement (musically and visually) is at a level that was unthinkable even as little as fifteen years ago. It seems like each year, I think to myself, "It can't possibly get better than this," and I find myself wondering, "Is there a hard ceiling to what kids can accomplish?"
And like our athletic counterparts, I suspect there is. I also suspect we have not seen that limit as of yet.
What is the reason for the growth? How did it occur? Have kids changed? Are they somehow more physically adept or musically inclined? Are they genetically bred to march more complex drill or play more demanding music?
No. They are trained to be better.
World-class marathoners needed world-class trainers and teachers to bring out their best. They needed someone who could see what they could not and help them find something in themselves that they were unable to locate. World-class athletes are who they are in part because of world-class coaching.
Who we are is determined in large part by who we are taught by. These Herculean feats of achievement were never unachievable; they were just unTEACHABLE. We lacked the time, knowledge, or experience to prepare people to reach these milestones. As we learn to teach better, people perform better. This is just as true in music as it is in athletics.
Student musicians are better today because teachers are better today.
So as I sat this past weekend and watched world-class performances, I know that somewhere in the shadows lurks a world-class teacher.
Have a great week!