I am willing to say it: I am one of the happiest Project 55 Fellows I know. As an extremely superstitious person, I hesitate to “jinx” myself by declaring my happiness, because you never know when the fates will turn against you. However, my bizarre and blatant happiness has become a running joke amongst my friends and roommates, so I feel comfortable sharing it electronically with you all. Given this insane happiness, it is curious that I have waited until mid-November to blog, but ce la vie. Perhaps I was too busy smiling to log-in.
I guess I should start at the very beginning of my Fellowship with Education Through Music and branch out from there. Forgive me for the rambling nature of this long post; shorter and more frequent posts in the future--I promise!
When I moved to the city in September (two days before my start date), I was terrified. As I unpacked my boxes, my mind reeled with questions: What if they don’t like me? What if I loathe my day-to-day tasks? What if I am attacked by rabid dogs on my way to the subway and die before I can clock in for my first day? These concerns haunted me as I attempted to unload all of my stuff into my 6x10 room with no windows. I had never held a true 9-5 job for longer than a summer, and my stomach turned just as I imagined the grim possibilities.
In reality, my first day was rabid-dog free and absolutely fantastic. The instant I entered the ETM office, I was surrounded by smiling faces. I think the most amazing thing I have discovered about the non-profit sector is that: everyone has warmth in their eyes. Smart, driven, and passionate people exist everywhere, but I found that the warmth in the ETM office was something I had not yet encountered in a workplace environment.
I also could not have asked for a more welcoming schedule; I spent the first part of the day talking with our HR representative and going over logistics. Then, I observed some teacher training sessions led by ETM’s Director of Programs, Peter Pauliks. My start date coincided with the annual ETM training boot-camp for our music teachers, and so I got to meet all of our music teachers and get a detailed look at the program’s mission and process. Then, in the early afternoon everyone in the office headed out to a kick-off barbecue at one of our partner elementary schools. On my first day, the executive director of Education Through Music handed me a beer, and said “Welcome to our family, and relax!” Honestly? What could be better than that for a first-day on the first-job-out-of-college story?
I think that great non-profit organizations are formed by strong leadership, and our Executive Director, Katherine Damkohler, is a shining example of how positive energy and passion for a cause can infect others and motivate them to work hard for results. There is no competition between colleagues because ETM stresses teamwork to accomplish its goals. We support each other, because we all share the same passionate intensity for bringing music to inner-city school children. I mean, wow. Could this organization be a better fit for me? I don’t think so. Music has been integral to my education, my friendships, and my self-discovery and personal growth. I honestly do not know who I would have become without my experiences studying, performing, and celebrating music. Whenever I feel the slightest bit of fatigue or frustration creeping up on me as I work on an excel spreadsheet, I just think back to my personal experience. Competing in choral competitions, standing on the carnegie hall stage, singing duets with my best friend for 6 years in school concerts, traveling with my a-capella group, performing in musicals, learning to sightread and compose,or studying opera etc..... Some of my deepest friendships and hardest life-lessons came through studying music, and I absolutely believe that every child deserves to study music and learn all of the life-lessons that accompany that education.
So, I hit the ground running. One of my favorite things about ETM is the agency it gives its employees. From day 1 I was encouraged to think outside the box, speak up in meetings, and pursue my own projects. And--- I did. Within my first month, I had organized a few of my own initiatives for the organization, and I had even run my own fundraiser! I am sort of the “point person” for my project to expand/ advertise ETM to college campuses, and increase our “young/ student musician” base. I have also written articles for our quarterly ETM Newsletter; written my own promotional activities, and reached out to various contacts in the music industry and non-profit network. From the moment I was on staff, I felt that my co-workers valued my opinion and I was encouraged to offer my criticisms and comments. I have been really fortunate to see both sides of non-profit Development (grant writing and PR/personal relationships). My initiatives continue, and I have found that when you are spearheading a project for a cause you are extremely passionate about, you lose track of time and work really hard on it.
What I have learned about myself from this process thus far: when I believe in the mission of an organization, I can get a lot of people to do what I want. I mean, a LOT. Friends, family, strangers...everyone. Essentially, if you know me, then you are about to know about ETM. And if we are just meeting, you might walk away knowing more about my organization than about my background. I have always been a good salesperson (all of my past jobs have been in sales/customer service) but ETM has brought out a side of me that I didn’t even know I had. I guess, you could call me a crusader, now? I definitely miss academics (especially languages!) in some ways. The reading, writing, the heated debates-- ahh how I crave it! But ETM has given me something perhaps even more powerful than my love of academia---power to give back. My weeks fly by, I work through lunch breaks, because when you believe in the mission, it doesn’t feel like work. It just feels like the right thing to do. So, in conclusion: Thank you P55 for placing me with such an amazing organization.
I promise to post again soon! :)
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