Martha Nelson  Portfolio - May 2005

The Future

I must confess that I am reticent to make bold statements in regard to the path my life might take over the next ten years due to the unexpected route that has brought me to where I am now.  If you had told me in 1995 that I would be single, living in Queens and teaching music for a living, I would have likely scoffed in disbelief.  You see, in May of 1995 I was newly married and earning a masters degree in business at night while working for a major music distribution company during the day.  My music theory and performance skills were gathering dust in a closet somewhere.  That path seemed destined to carry on in a similar direction infinitely and yet, events occurred that sent me spinning off in a very different direction than I ever could have anticipated.  I believe it was John Lennon who said, “life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans” and my life’s path can certainly attest to that sentiment.  So I hope you will understand that the statements and predictions I am about to put forth are submitted with little faith that they will actually come to fruition in the manner that I might envision today.

The immediate future holds some definitive plans, however.  First and foremost, I am exploring my skills as a musician and performer more closely than ever before.  I recently have become very close to a professional jazz saxophonist, who is not only giving me lessons on sax, but also helping to sharpen my musicianship in a very practical way.  He is challenging the boundaries and forcing me to dust off those skills that I let fall into complacency.  Being stimulated in this manner has been particularly helpful since I started an instrumental music program at my school this year and my knowledge of band programs is pretty much limited to my experience of having been in school band from third grade through college.  My formal training in instrumental music has been minimal.

When I entered the NYC Teaching Fellows program, I had no idea that they even had Music Fellows, so when the choice to be a music teacher was given I must admit that I hesitated.  After all, even though I had worked in the music business for over 11 years, I had not taken a music class since I was an undergrad.  The idea of flexing those muscles again was somewhat intimidating, because I felt very rusty, but ultimately I knew it was the right path to choose.  This is why in the coming months, now that my graduate work is nearly completed; I hope to focus on reconnecting to who I am as a musician in a more personal sense.  Performing, studying new instruments, and exploring musicianship in general are my immediate concerns.

Over the next five years, I envision simply growing as a teacher and exploring new and better ways to communicate with my students and the rest of my school community.  This year I was given an unexpectedly large budget with which to purchase pretty much anything I wanted.  I used the opportunity to buy several new band instruments as well as a set of tone chimes.  Having studied hand bells as an undergraduate, I am excited to implement such a program at my school as part of my ever-expanding instrumental program.  However, this also means that I will have to revisit and expand upon my own skill set in that particular area. 

Also over the next five years, I’d like to get Orff certified.  As a result of myself and a colleague attending some Orff workshops offered by the Regional Arts Supervisor in my region, my school has acquired a significant set of Orff instruments so I would like to be fully equipped to utilize this resource.  Also, although I am comfortable working with elementary age children, I’ve found that I am more comfortable with the upper grades than the primary ones.  For this reason, I feel that getting Orff certification will enrich my skills in dealing with the younger age level of student.

By the time we reach 2015, I can’t really even imagine where I might be.  One reason I say this is due to my health.  Having been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis last year, I’ve learned to live more in the moment than in the past or the future and this is why I have difficulty approaching this question, because I know all too well that life can change very quickly and it’s best to keep an open mind.  I say this not because I know that my physical limitations could become an issue as far as following my desires toward some pre-determined goal, but more because I think my priorities might change mentally and emotionally as my disease progresses.  That said, I also feel that it is important to have goals and ideas for continued growth as a person and a teacher, regardless of whether those goals are ever reached.  Part of the journey and the beauty of life is that there is no definitive path, but rather the flexibility to bend and change our course as we see fit.

There is a part of me that would like to continue my perpetual student status and pursue a doctoral degree; however, at this point I feel the need to take a break from graduate school.  I’ve basically been working full time and taking graduate courses for the last ten years and I’m ready for a break.  Still, I could very well get the itch again and end up getting a doctorate in any number of disciplines that are of interest to me somewhere down the road.  I don't foresee that happening within the next five years, but possibly within the next ten.

I’ve lived a full life and have experienced several different careers and pursued a variety of interests as vastly different as business, library/information science, web/database design and music.  Even though it may seem like these paths were all very dissimilar to one another, I see them all as interconnected.  The skill set I have now is very unique and as a result, makes me a viable candidate for any number of new careers/directions.  For instance, I have an interest in the use of technology in learning and perhaps that is an area I will explore farther down the road.  Even though I really love teaching and that is where my interests lie for the moment, I am already in a position that goes beyond teaching and into more administrative duties.  There is the possibility that after I've been teaching for five years I may choose to move into something related to education but where my business and technological skills also are utilized more fully.  I can only speculate at this point.  The only thing I know for sure is that my journey as a life-long learner is the only path that continues ad infinitum regardless of the content or discipline to which it is attached.