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Ryker HuizingaDecember 15, 2015

My Consulting Philosophy

When I was a youngster I decided I wanted to learn how to play the guitar. At thirteen years old I was pretty shy, so I was hesitant to get any formal training. The idea of attending one-on-one sessions with an instructor where I thought I would be judged harshly for my lack of skill frightened me. I preferred to take a better (safer) route. I could learn on my own by noodling and looking up guitar tabs online. With this method, I I thought I was capable of greatness, I could be the next naturally gifted, legendary rock star. After all, Jimi Hendrix was self-taught, right?

My parents disagreed. They insisted that I needed to take weekly lessons if I wanted to purchase my first guitar. I had no choice, I had to face the music. Within a few weeks, I found myself walking into the local musical instrument shop to take my first private lesson. I was greeted by a man named Steve. He had long, brown hair that fell past his shoulders and scruffy patches of facial hair. He wore brown, baggy cargo pants and an over-sized pea green sweater. Basically, if my memory serves me correctly, he looked like a rock ‘n’ roll version of Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. Rather intimidated at this first encounter, I was more like Scooby. Or perhaps Courage the Cowardly Dog.

I learned quickly that Steve was a masterful guitar player–probably the best I’ve seen to this day. This was also quite intimidating. I nervously hugged my new guitar, hoping I wouldn’t be asked to play (or talk much). I came armed with a few pointers from other guitar-playing friends and several chords I could barely play. But to my surprise, Steve was in no way judgmental. In fact, he was incredibly understand, kind and encouraging.

He met me where I was as a beginner. After taking time to understand my knowledge, he determined what I needed and began to teach me the basics. As the weeks went on and I slowly improved, the lessons were restructured. Each week I was encouraged to bring in a song I was interested in learning. We would then listen to that song together and take notes. Afterwards, Steve would assist me in learning the song, always allowing me to ask any questions I had (whether they were relevant to the piece or not). The session would always end with him assigning me different portions of it to practice. It was a solid system, and over time my confidence grew. With Steve’s instruction, I actually became more equip to teach myself. I didn’t realize it at the time, but my 30 minute guitar sessions with Steve caused me to grow as a musician significantly.

Though music and writing are different practices, Steve is my role model as a writing consultant. This has been true to my consulting style all along, but I did not realize it until I began attempting to craft a consulting philosophy. There are interesting parallels between the 30 minute sessions of guitar lessons and writing consultations.

Going to the writing center can be frightening and intimidating. Just like being vulnerable and displaying your skills (or lack of them) at a guitar lesson, working with a writing consultant requires transparency and sharing your work, sometimes with someone who is more

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knowledgeable than you. I was reluctant to take guitar lessons when I was thirteen, but I was also hesitant to go to the writing center before I started working there. It takes courage to ask for help and seek instruction. Yet, sometime ulterior motives push us to make certain choices. I primarily agreed to take guitar lessons because I knew it was the only way I would be able to own a real guitar. Likewise, many students come to the writing center because their professors promised them extra credit. After the initial encounter, however, one can only hope that the aspiring musician or writer will come to understand the value of a consultation and then choose to come back for more.

Steve was excellent at making me feel comfortable and building rapport. He took time to get to know me a little better each week. He also recognized that learning a new instrument is inevitably extremely frustrating, so he constantly gave me support and encouragement. Writing, though rewarding, is also quite discouraging and difficult. When working with student writers, I try to emulate Steve’s kindness and understanding. By being encouraging and supportive, I attempt to help the student de-stress and re-focus on communicating their ideas strongly. Hakuna Matata is a component of my consulting philosophy. My main objective in every consultation is to instill confidence and equip the writer with the knowledge that all that they need to conquer challenges and reach goals already lies within them.

The songs I would bring to my sessions with Steve are similar to the papers students bring to the writing center. There are different types of songs just as there are different styles of writing. Sometimes a student may bring in an expressive narrative laced with complex metaphors, like Don McLean’s folk tune, “American Pie.” Other papers may be argumentative and focus on purposely advocating for a cause, like “Same Love” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. And then there’s the complex, specifically structured APA research paper that echoes that of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. As a consultant, I may prefer one style over another, but I’m willing to tackle anything a writer brings me.

The goal of the writing center is not to create better papers, but better writers. This idea is supported by Steve’s guitar lessons. He didn’t strive to create a better performance of a song, he focused on creating a better musician. Despite wanting the song to sound good (simply put), Steve couldn’t just play the song for me. That would completely defeat the purpose of attending guitar lessons. I wasn’t there so Steve could demonstrate how skillful he could play. This is something that is vital for me to remember in my consultations. Though I often want to be extremely directive and correct every little mistake to improve a paper, I realize that this is no way helps the writer to grow or improve. This practice requires humility and a surprising amount of self-control. Adapting a non-directive style and trying to help the writers help themselves is certainly difficult, but in the end the results are much more fruitful.

Steve’s help was invaluable as I grew and developed as a guitar player. When I attempted to learn songs on my own, I would often make good progress but would eventually get frustrated and confused. Being able to have discussions, ask questions and receive feedback from someone who was more experienced than I was made a world of difference in my development and kept me from giving up. As a writing consultant, I’ve grown to appreciate and understand the importance of collaborative learning and receiving feedback on writing. It is essential to the

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writing process. Every day I learn in new ways that asking for help is necessary to grow, and this is changing my outlook on writing and education in general.

I’m grateful to have had guitar lessons with Steve. Though I’ve always known that he helped me immensely as a musician, I never would have guessed that he would impact my professional life as well. In being encouraging, adaptable and non-directive, I try to model my consultations after his style. Indeed, Steve taught me more than just music.