Smashing the Glass Ceiling
Most of us have one … an invisible ceiling above our heads that limits how fast and high we can grow. It is kept there by our self-doubt, by our caution, and sometimes by the low expectations of others who think they know us well but who see no further than our current achievements, and cannot imagine what our potential achievements might be.
We think we can glimpse our goals, that exciting vision of where we could end up, but never quite reach it as there is something preventing us from getting there … we can’t see it but that glass ceiling exists alright, we get so far, and then cannot get any further. In our work with adults with multiple problems, typically homelessness, addiction, mental health problems, disability – we come up against this kind of thing more often than usual, which is totally understandable because there is nothing quite like a combination of poor economic, social, personal and health factors to rob a person of their self-esteem and confidence. And this is where music can play such a powerful part. As a non-threatening, easy-to-access, enjoyable way of kick-starting some activity (the building blocks of recovery) – it is a force to be reckoned with.
Recently, as part of our Youth-Music-Funded project, "Self-Expression", we have had the pleasure of working with a group of young people who have learning disabilities but who are determined to 'smash the ceiling' and develop their individual skills and talents. Rebecca, a young lady who has down's syndrome for example, is one of the most responsive and expressive musicians I have met in my life, and whose drumming skills would shine in any setting, let alone a special-school one. She and others, Jonny-The-Wolf for example, pictured above, defy expectations and norms with their desire to keep on achieving more and more.
So here is my recipe for smashing that glass ceiling based on 20+ years of teaching teenagers in a mainstream school, some of whom seemed caught in a cycle of negativity - as well as my more recent experience with adults who are experiencing the most difficult problems of all! It is simple. Do something. Do anything that is a meaningful activity, whether it is drawing, music, creative writing, sport, amateur radio, gardening … ideally in the company of others. Then do that something again and again until it is part of your routine, and then do it better, and take pride in it. Keep going. Don’t stop. You will develop expertise and pride in what you do, and then will come the satisfaction. You will grow as a person, and the bigger you grow, the nearer you get to that glass ceiling, near enough to see it, then smash it!!!!
