The moment is joyful.
Four friends on a Saville Row rooftop on a cold, dreary London afternoon. They are locked in the synergy of sound blissfully ignoring the staid norms of some of their brokerage firm neighbors. An electric keyboard is melodically dancing in time as a new addition to the brotherhood from various angles of Liverpool, England.
It is a band on a rooftop.
Playing songs that will sparkle the edges of an inspirational canon, The Beatles are immersed in the moment of musical empathy. Smiles surround their sounds as a film crew captures what will be their final live performance. The band did not designate this as their finale. It is only the conclusion to a documentary film.
In the midst of songs like “Get Back” and “I’ve Got a Feeling,” the previous weeks of what John Lennon called “…the most miserable sessions on earth,” The Beatles embraced the love forged in their shared words and music. The past moments of arguments, tension and detachment are gone. One would never sense that this was a band mired in recent disarray. The band is live again performing for people on a rooftop. They have drafted a young keyboard player named Billy Preston to sit in with them on a project that was designed for them to “Get Back” to their roots of being the band they once were. Forgetting their differences and disagreements, The Beatles are reborn doing what they do best—sharing Music for the world. The Beatles were performers and they discovered their natural habitat on that London rooftop after a nearly three-year absence from live performance.
The moment is sincere and filled with love. A love that bonds these four friends together in love for Music and each other. A love that transcends the inertia of negativity and dissent. A love that will eternally echo in the film and recording captured on that wintry afternoon in 1969.
Many lessons can be gleaned from The Beatles and their final live performance in our universal Schoolhouse. We hit many peaks and valleys as Educators. Doing the noble work of serving our students is not always easy. Plagued with doubts and divisiveness, we sometimes embrace the dour nature of our collective beings and permit that to dull the spark in the Schoolhouse. We are human and we have our moments where passion is dimmed. We sometimes lose our way in the labyrinth of the status quo. These moments occur at varying levels for some of us.
It is vital to embrace the joy we have as Educators and blissfully get back to our intentional roots. We call those things out that led us towards the path in our Noble Profession and a synergy will arise. Teaching is in part a collaborative pursuit. Collaborating with teachers is like playing in a band. Bands are not always perfect just as school faculties are in turn sometimes the same. If we intentionally toss aside the disillusion that may weigh us down and get back to our core as Educators, then we can enjoy a joyful rooftop moment like The Beatles did.
Find that colleague in your Schoolhouse and invite them to jam on the rooftop with you. Our students benefit from the Music that we play together as Educators in the collaborations we actively foster. Cast aside the fear or doubt that may hinder the invitation to collaborate. Stay tuned to the key of the core that inspires you as an Educator and play your loud, raucous sound on many rooftops.
One way to aim for that rooftop moment as Educators is to embrace the impromptu like The Beatles did. Here are a few impromptu ideas:
- Host an impromptu dance party for colleagues at the end of the week. The power of a “Soul Train” line is a fun way to bond and connect.
- Create a Flipgrid where colleagues can share a favorite song, fond teaching memory or inspiring movie.
- Make a Mix Tape or Playlist where you invite teachers to share upbeat songs.
- Invite teacher colleagues to a common area in the Schoolhouse for a free-form brainstorming or moonshot dream sharing session.
- Host an informal jam session if there a teacher colleagues who actually play Music!
The Beatles final performance on that rooftop was a swan song of joy. As Educators, we do not have to settle for the last gasp of a swan song or negativity-plagued semester. Our quest to inspire the young minds in our care is never-ending. We can aim for that rooftop moment of joy and leave a positive educational canon that inspires kids.
Leadership Liner Notes: Sean Gaillard 