As I posted today on Facebook, I need to refocus my trust in God to provide what we truly need, so I think it is time to start up some thankful posting.
Today, I am thankful for God's presence in my life and His pushes to be in the right places at the right times.
My journey toward appreciating what I already have is blessing me in a multitude of ways. I mentioned in a previous post that I have been struggling with the direction in which I would like to take my life. I have been playing my clarinet (followed by my flute and borrowed saxophones) since I was sixteen, and I have been a paid private instructor since I was nineteen. That is a lot of time dedicated to my passions, and I do not intend to give up on them anytime soon. The Lord blessed me with these talents, and I do not intend to minimize them.
I serve on the Howard County Fine Arts Advisory Council, as well as serve as the technology liaison, and this affiliation has lead to many wonderful opportunities for me on a business and personal level. I have been added to the Howard County Parents for School Music committee as a representative for my daughters' school, the county listing of private instructors, participated on the music panel for our annual Fine Arts College Information Night, and I have been able to network with an abundance of incredibly kind and talented members and supporters of the arts community in Howard County.
One of these incredibly talents supporter of the arts community serves on the HCFAAC and works for the county parks and recreation program. When she put together a Teen Opportunities Fair, I was so honored that she asked me to represent Music in Howard County. Having served on the music panel for our College Information Night in 2011 and 2012 helped me on my way to gathering the necessary information for parents and students, but I still had to dig through the information on the county website for even more opportunities that I knew existed. My extensive experience with teaching advanced high school students in Minnesota for eleven years allowed me to locate the links and information for the Maryland equivalent events, thankfully.
Today was the Teen Opportunities Fair, and I cannot even speak now after standing and conversing with parents and students for over three hours. I decided to educate parents not only on the opportunities for advancement through and outside of school but also on the process of choosing the appropriate private music instructor. I brought my teaching curriculum, copies of my résumé, and business cards with me to use as an indicator for a quality private instructor. What I did not expect to happen was the volume of my business cards that were taken and an impromptu deeper conversation on my teaching ideals and processes with a band director from one of the best music programs in the state. God put me in the right place at the right time, discussing what I love to do with all my heart.
**11/27: As an update, this trend continued on Monday, November 12th, when the manager of a local music store asked for my card to discuss having me teach there, too. I have messaged the high school teacher, and I have yet to hear from the store manager, but I am optimistic that these opportunities will come to fruition in due time. It's all in the Lord's hands and His timing. If you feel so inclined, I would love prayers of support and encouragement for these potential opportunities to get my clarinet studio back to what it was in Minnesota. Thank you from every part of my heart.
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