Speaker 1: Translators note When I signed those conducting gestures everything changed for me. You see just the moment before I was on stage and my mind was racing and my pulse was pounding because I had a surprise to deal with right there in front of everyone. Over a decade ago I'd put together a show where I'd composed the film score and assembled a band to join me in performing that live to the movie. And as we got to the climax of the film I saw my clarinet player slowly begin to dismantle his instrument in front of me. This was not on the page. And as he raised the barrel of his instrument to his lips with no mouthpiece to make who knows what sound, I had a choice to make. I could either ask him to come back to what was on the page or I could embrace the unknown, step into the surprise and say yes to what he had to offer. I'm glad I chose the latter and I signed in silence that phrase to my clarinetist. You, continue with this. And not only did I get back a sound which was more haunting and wondrous than I could have composed, one that sounded more like a bamboo flute than a clarinet, I also received an insight into what it takes to be a leader in education in the 21st century. So today I want to talk about how I arrived at that moment on that show to say yes to the surprise, why my journey even matters to the field of education, and what there is to do. And we're gonna close with a group exercise. But before we get there, how did I get to that moment to say yes to such a shocking surprise? What you don't know is that I started piano at the age of four and in one of my very first public recitals, I actually ran off the stage in tears because I had made a mistake and not played what was on the page. You see, in many ways I was the product of a very traditional music education, one that prioritized perfection over innovation, one that championed competition over collaboration. But along the way I had several mentors and educators who poured into me and they enabled me to take risks and to make creative choices. Whether it was improvising on a blues solo or creating a piece for a concert or even stepping out on the stage with them as educators and improvising an entire concert with nothing on the page. But why does my journey from timid beginner to confident professional even matter to the field of education? Well, we are entering one of the most complex, unpredictable, and rapidly changing landscapes we've ever seen as a species. As a modern civilization, we've turned the page several times from the agricultural to the industrial to the information age and we are now in what author Daniel Pink calls the conceptual era. And in this era, those concepts of empathy and play and symphonic-like collaboration are what will make the difference in such a rapidly changing environment. The World Economic Forum says that those soft skills of active listening, of creative collaboration, of complex problem-solving, of creativity are what will make the difference and will set those who are ready up for success in this new era. But if that's the case, if this is the future we're facing, why have many of our traditional models of education not adapted appropriately? Why do we still proceed as if narrow specialization and skill building is the ultimate benchmark when it's merely the baseline? Why do we go forward with these old models into this new future? Well, for starters, creativity is messy. It's not easily assessed, measured, graded, tested. But for those leaders in education who are ready to rise to the challenge, are ready to step into this new future, are ready to go beyond outcomes into adventure, are ready to push past those old models, are ready to lead those they mentor into a liquid mindset, into resiliency, are ready to lead those they teach to experience the power of play. If they are ready to do that, they are ready to lead those they teach into this new era. So the call is clear. What is there to do? Simply this, create scenarios in which you, as a leader, do not know the outcome legitimately. Put yourself in scenarios where those you're mentoring have to step into the unknown with you and make that discovery together. But I don't want to just talk about this today. I want to put it into practice. So I'm gonna invite us to close in a group exercise and we're gonna find the magic in this moment. We're gonna make something amazing together. We're gonna compose instantly and create a piece. And if you're saying to yourself, I am NOT musical, never fear. We're just gonna make a joyful noise here together and have some fun. And to help us, I've invited a friend and colleague to join us. Professor Mark Harris is here on faculty at Metro. So would you help me in welcoming Mark to the stage? Now don't think you're too far behind because we haven't rehearsed what we're about to do. So I want to create something together with you and the way we're gonna do this is I'm gonna embrace risk by stepping out as a leader and asking you to make a creative choice in response, right? So I'll give a structure and you can provide a content in response. I'll give a sign and you can give back some type of sound, all right? And each sign has a definite meaning but feel free to reinterpret that sign every time I give it to you. So we've already learned one. I'll give this one to you for free. This is continue, right? It's not traveling. It's continue, okay? And we're gonna learn three. It's hit, sustain, and synchronize. Hit, sustain, and synchronize. So let's practice. The first one hit is a short, sharp sound, right? On my cue. Something maybe like this. You ready? Even shorter. Great. And each time you can think of a new short sound. Ready? Okay, we're gonna warmed up, all right? Here's the exact opposite, right? It's a sustain. Pick one long tone that doesn't have a sense of pulse. It could be whatever, right? Maybe something like this. All right? Your turn. Ready? And. Good. I heard a cell phone. I was gonna have Mark synchronize that but you've already killed your cell phone. That's fine. I'm in the moment here. So let's do a few more. Ready? Oh, we're gonna take this on the road. This is great. Last but not least is synchronize. And this one is almost impossible to rehearse, right? So whatever we're doing in the moment, when I give you this sign, start listening to those around you and try to merge your sound with your neighbors, right? It's a process of discovery here. And the longer I hold this, the longer I want you to expand your awareness to the entire room and maybe, just maybe, we might discover one sound that we'll create together. So synchronize, sustain, and hit. You guys ready? So embrace risk. Empower creative choice. And you just might discover the next great idea. Thank you.