As we get tangled in the stress that musical competition can bring, I had a situation that kept me grounded, and I'd like to share it as a reminder of why we do what we are doing.

After we finish our beginner classes, I have to pack up and go pretty quickly to get to another campus for my end of the day office time.
There are several 6th graders that come and say hi/bye at this point, grab instruments, etc.
There is one girl who is very into a certain series of books, and she began telling me her progress in them. Every day she'd tell me how far she'd gotten, and tell me a highlight or 2, and I'd tell her great job reading, glad you enjoy it, sounds interesting, things like that.
Eventually she started getting more in depth, and this interaction was getting longer.
Sometimes I'd have to stop myself from trying to move towards the door as she'd show me her journalings on the book's content, and explain parts of the plot in great detail. So I'd be patient and listen and make comments.
One particular long discussion, I said "very cool, thanks for sharing it with me."
And she responded "thanks for listening. Most people don't want to listen to me about this stuff."
Then I was reminded what the actually important part of our job is.
Giving them musical experiences is great, having competitive success is great - but if I can walk away knowing that some previously unheard students felt heard and cared for, I know that I've done good. If you have done that, you should be proud at the end of the day.