Try not to roll your eyes when I say this: I proudly play ultimate frisbee. One of Coach Dave Thompson’s most frequent phrases is “make space to take space.” You have to open up the field by moving out of the easiest throwing lanes into the harder lanes, so you can crash back in to take the disc for yourself and your next receiver. A crucial part of my development as a community member was following that principle.
Among my peers, there are a few groups where I feel completely secure.As much as I may smile and crack up conversations with anyone, I still get that grating sensation in my heart when I know I’m not wanted in certain spaces. I know I’m not the only one dealing with this; in Dining Hall and Snack Bar tables, group projects, and certain classrooms—things can get dicey quickly. Regardless, I take up those spaces, since you can foster community by being an unusual face within a familiar group. You open up the field for others to take it—to greet and maybe invite you to converse—so that you can be the second person down the field to grab the deep throw into the endzone. That’s a new person to talk to, a new face to smile at in the halls.
“No one’s raising their hand, and I have a question about something I’m curious about?” That’s easy space.
“No one’s an Assistant Music Director, and the director for musicals invited me for the role?” That’s an easy space, made by Ms. MK Lawson, inviting me in. “No one’s performing at dinner hours, and I’m a jazz pianist?” That’s an easy space. Taken, taken, and taken. And the best part about taking space is that people always want to join you and follow up on your momentum.
Once I started performing jazz nights, people kept asking when the next night was. Some even asked to join, so I helped them rehearse and perform. By being an assistant music director, I contributed to my colleagues’ performances— performances I’ll always remember fondly.
Sometimes I get asked, “Why do you ask so many questions? What motivates you to perform?” And although it is in part for my own sake—to satisfy my insatiable curiosity, to fulfill one of my duties as a scholar-musician, it would be disingenuous of me to say that I don’t do it for others too. Whenever I raise my hand and ask my questions, it motivates others to ask questions as well. They might follow up on the instructor’s response to my question, or maybe they needed more time to think about how to articulate their question. Maybe they just didn’t want to be the first one to pierce through a crowd. And so I do.
Make space to take space. It’s an ethos for a team. A community. Everyone should make space so that anyone can take space. As my time at Hotchkiss comes to a close, I understand the legacy and many melodies I leave behind. This is me ensuring that you can adapt and improvise over them.
