Who am I called to be?

This question has been on my mind the past few days, and tonight at mass this was discussed in the homily.

SO-who am I called to be?

I am called to be myself.  I am called to be a Godly person. I am called to be the best Christian that I can be. I am called to be the best trumpet player that I can be. I am called to be the best sister, the best daughter, the best granddaughter, and the best cousin that I can be. I am called to be the best friend that I can be.

I am not called to be the best trumpet player in the world...I am called to be the best trumpet player that I can be. Even on the days when I feel like I'm the worst trumpet player ever, I remind myself that there will always be someone worse than me and someone way better than me somewhere in the world. The only thing that matters is that each time I pick up the trumpet, I am working to be the best musician that I can be.

I am not called to be the next saint...I am called to be the best Christian that I can be..to share the love of God with others...to help those in need...to give back to the community...to live out God's plan for me. While there are many days that I question why I am in a certain situation, I have to remind myself that it is part of God's plan, whether I like it or not. If it is a part of His plan for me, He will help me through the rough waters.  I am here on Earth because He has a plan for me.

I want to remind each and every one of you to strive to be be the best that you can be. Live your life for Him, and He will help you reach your dreams.

A Blue Uniform

While some may not like police officers, I do. I respect those who wear blue. I respect those who wear blue because they are the ones who protect us.

A few years ago, I had the privilege of attending the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police Conference with my dad, who at that time was a Deputy Chief for our city police department. At the banquet, the organization honored the families of those (in IL) who had lost their lives that year. While the families were being honored, it really hit home that everyday when my dad went to work, he put his life on the line.

Police officers protect out community 24/7. We may not like police officers becuse they give speeding tickets and other fines, but that is their job. Their job is to protect and serve our country and the people. So when you get a ticket, don't think police officers are mean, because the officer that gave you the ticket was just simply doing his/her job: to protect the people. Even when an officer is inside working at the desk, his/her life is still on the line. Officers working in a station still face the chance of a person coming into the station and attacking/shooting them. 

The men and women who wear blue don't just work normal twelve hour shifts.  They are usually at the station before their shift starts and many have to stay after to finish up reports. Or perhaps they took a call a half-hour before the end of shift..they can't just drop everything and go home..When an officer goes home after shift, they have to be prepared to go back in if an emergency were to happen.  Even though they may work twelve hour shifts, they always have to be prepared to protect the community.

The men and women who wear blue have families. They are the son or daughter of someone, they are the spouse of someone, or even the parent or grandparent of someone. If your mom or dad was a police officer, wouldn't you want them to come home at night? For the families of the men and women wearing blue, they have no idea if their loved one will come home safely after each shift.

There are so many things I could say in regards to how people treat police officers, but I'm not going to.  I just want to remind everyone to respect those who wear blue.  If you are driving and you pass a police vehicle, don't be afraid to smile and wave.  If you are out and about and walk past a police officer, tell them thank you.  If you hear someone talking bad about the police, ask them to stop. Remember that the men and women wearing blue have families.

All officers, at any level, put their lives on the line to keep the people of our communities safe. So next time you see a police officer, make sure to thank them for their duty and service to the community.

DON'T TELL ME!!

If you are a musician, you know that waiting for audition results can be very stressful. The results bring joy to some and cause sadness for others. Results are something you want to find out on your own, not by being told from someone else-who isn't even in your section.

Tonight I came out of a meeting to look up the results from my auditions, and before I could even look-some kid was telling me how I did while I was telling him that I wanted to find out myself..Well, some of you may know what it's like if you make me very angry-and that is what this person did. For those who were there and heard me raise my voice at the individual-I apologize...but something needed to be said to the individual. What he/she was doing was not right, and I'm sure it upset more people than myself. Luckily my results were in my favor, but what if they wouldn't have been and this kid told me..how would he/she like it if that happened to them? I would assume he/she wouldn't like it--so why would they do it to me?!

Why the trumpet? Why music?

A lot of people ask what made me want to play the trumpet or why I have chosen to study music in college. To be honest, there isn't a simple answer. 

Growing up in a musical family, music was always a part of my life. You always went to hear dad play, whether it was with the QPB, QSOA, or him filling in with another group. Some may not know, but my mom can play the piano, so music is truly a family affair.

Many people have that concert they went to or the recording they had that made them want to play a certain instrument..but I truly don't remember having something like that that made me want to play the trumpet. I kind of remember always liking the sound of brass instruments the best, but didn't think anything about it.  

One memory I have is when I was able to go hear the QSO during their Young Peoples concerts..I can remember one year sitting in the front row with all of my classmates when my dad came down to talk to me, and then all of the brass section was waving at me-yes, I felt special. At those concerts, they always picked a few kids to come on stage for a song..I remember my dad asking who I would sit by if I was ever chosen, and I was always like "I have no clue-but probably somebody in the brass." 

So when I was in fifth grade I chose to play the trumpet and began taking lessons as well as playing in PMO band. I immediately fell in love with the trumpet, and obviously never looked back. But why the trumpet? I have no clue-my dad said you should try the trumpet-so I said okay. Later I realized that it was kind of a family tradition, too, because my great grandpa had played the trumpet along with my grandma and great aunt. 

So that answers the question of why the trumpet(sort of)..but why study music? Well, that's hard to answer-because there are so many responses I could give. And in my opinion, the two questions go hand in hand. A lot of people have that one band director and/or private teacher they give credit to-but I would have to give credit to more than just my private instructors and band directors. So many people in my life are involved in music, and each one has helped me on my journey of continuing to study music in college. Since I began playing in the QPB after my freshman year of high school, I have gotten to know and become friends with the many musicians I grew up watching each summer. And I would say the same to everyone in the QSO, especially the wind and percussion players(both past and present). Each of these musicians have reinforced the many things I was taught from my private teachers and band directors. But without my private teachers, there is no way I would be where I am today. I am very blessed that I had two wonderful trumpet teachers before going to college-one during grade school and the other during high school. Each of them taught me not only about music and the trumpet, but also about life. My parents have always been supportive of my music journey, as well. Without all of these people, I wouldn't be studying music today. Many of these people are more than just my peers, they are practically family. My trumpet teachers, band directors, and all of my fellow musicians who are band directors and private lesson teachers are what have inspired me to study music in college. 

As I was traveling in the car today, I was listening to one of my favorite CDs- Alternate Voices(Dr. Greg Jones).  When Nightsongs came on, I began thinking about these two questions, which led to me writing this post.

As I am about to begin my sophomore year at WIU, I would just like to say thank you to all of my former, current, and future music teachers and mentors for all of the support, encouragement, and inspiration!

(If you want to know about why I'm studying music therapy, check out the post entitled "What are you going to do with THAT degree?)

We all have a story

We all have a story. Some are short and sweet, while others are long and complicated.  But whatever our story is, it is created in God's hands.

While I was at the ESA IC Convention the other week, I was thinking about this. I was thinking especially about how the clients of Easter Seals and the patients of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital all have a different story. Some endure more treatment than others.  Some survive the odds and beat childhood cancer, while others don't.

As I was thinking about this, I began to think about my own story. What makes my story unique? What makes me different from everybody else? What gifts and talents did God give me? What situations has God put me in that make me who I am today?

For me, I thought about how I was born with a VSD, or Ventricular Septal Defect. A VSD, simply put, is a hole in the wall(septum) that separates the two lower chambers(left and right ventricles) of the heart. I was tiny but mighty when I was born. My parents had to feed me every two hours when I was born.(And if you know me, I still eat almost every two hours!) Growing up, I saw my pediatrician along with a pediatric cardiologist who specialized in Congenital Heart Defects from OSF Hospital in Peoria. At OSF Peoria, through the Children's Hospital of Illinois, there is a Congenital Heart Center that treats both children and adults with CHDs.  CHDs are present at birth, and many require immediate attention and surgery.  According to the ACHA, heart defects are found in 1 in 100 babies.

I am very lucky that my VSD has not caused any issues, nor has it restricted me from doing anything I wish to do.  Many small VSDs close as the child grows-mine did not.  As I have gotten older, I now understand how lucky I am. Many children are born with multiple CHDs and require multiple surgeries with long hospital stays.  But yet here I am..I've never had heart surgery or long hospital stays. I know some will say I am lucky because I haven't had to do that....but some days when I hear the stories of other CHD survivors, I wonder why I am the lucky one. Why did God choose them and not me? While I will probably never know the answer to this question, some days I find myself asking it..I especially began thinking about this during my senior year of high school when a young woman in my community had her sixth open heart surgery.  All I could do was pray for her, because even though I have a CHD,I had no idea what she was going through.

At the beginning of this post, I talked about how we each have a different story, and how we are all created in God's hands. Whenever I question why I am the so called "lucky one", I remind myself that I was created in God's hands, just like everyone else. I remind myself that God doesn't put people in situations that they can't handle. We may not know if we can handle something when it first happens, but we must remember that God put us there, so He will help us through, as long as we trust in Him.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11~

What are you going to do with THAT degree?

For those who don't know, I am studying music therapy. There are a few questions I always get asked when I tell somebody that I am studying music therapy: What are you going to do with THAT degree? Are you going to be a teacher? What kind of job are you going to do with that degree? Where would you work?

First, let me explain how I discovered music therapy. When I was younger, I wanted to become a teacher(for like half of my childhood). As I grew older and began to develop my passion for music, I knew I wanted to a have a job in music.  At first, I wanted to become a music teacher. As my sister went away to Maryville University, my parents had told me that her school didn't offer a degree in music. One night as I was looking at a brochure for Maryville, I was reading the list of degrees offered...I suddenly came across "Music Therapy". I looked up at my parents and said "what is music therapy?" My dad tried to explain it to me the best he could. As a curious teenager, I went online and looked it up. As I came upon the AMTA's website, I found the definition(http://www.musictherapy.org/about/quotes/). I knew that it was what I wanted to do with my life. Towards the end of my junior year of high school, I visited WIU and sat in a senior music therapy class..that day they happened to be discussing the definition of music therapy-I was hooked and knew that was what I wanted to do..

So here I am the summer after my freshman year of college, and it's still what I want to do with my life. Yes, there are those days where I think about studying music education, but then I am always reminded of why I am studying music therapy.  

This afternoon as I was outside, one of my elderly neighbors stopped to talk to me. He asked me what I was studying, and I answered. He then proceeded to ask if I was going to be a teacher..and I said no.  I explained how that's not what I want to do with my life, and how I want to be a music therapist. 

I love when people ask me what I am studying..and then what music therapy is because it gives me the opportunity to advocate for music therapy. But it becomes frustrating when people think that I am studying to be a full-time music educator-because I'm not! I am studying music therapy so I can become a music therapist. If I wanted to be a full-time music teacher, I would be studying music education. Yes, I teach trumpet lessons, and I love my students, but I don't want to be a band director. 

*What am I going to do with my degree? Become an MT-BC and share my love of music while helping others.

*Am I going to be a teacher? No, I am not going to be a full-time music educator or band director. I would love to teach trumpet and adaptive piano lessons, on the side, though.

*What kind of job am I going to get? I plan on getting a job where I will be a music therapist. (And obviously I will still play my trumpet!)

*Where will I work? Somewhere where I can be a music therapist. My dream job is working with children in either the school or hospital setting. And of course I will always have the dream of owning a private practice.

If you are interested in knowing more about music therapy, check out the American Music Therapy Association's website. (www.musictherapy.org) Explaining music therapy would need to be its own blog post!

Always up to something!

Well, it's been a busy summer so far! I've stayed busy with babysitting, music, taking an online class, and traveling.  Although I feel like I never got a break after school ended, I have loved most of my summer so far!

Babysitting always brings out the best in me! There are many times when I smile because I love the kids I babysit. But, there are other times when I want to pull my hair out because the kids try to bend the rules and push the limits.  It's amazing to watch the kids grow.  Having been away at school all year, I missed a lot, and I am glad I was able to make more memories with the kids. Let me just say, that taking four kids to the library is very exhausting! Some of my favorite times are taking them for ice cream, hearing them read an entire children's book to me, and hearing them practice their instruments. My favorite part, though, is hearing them talk about God and sing along to their favorite Christian artist(s)!

Musically, I am always up to something.  I took a few days off after playing six graduation ceremonies..but then I was back at it preparing for the opera.  Being a part of the Muddy River Opera Company's production of La Boheme was a wonderful opportunity for me.  I had never played in the pit before..I had a great time! Playing with the Quincy Park Band always keeps me busy. If there's not a concert, I am probably taking apart the folders and putting the music back in the cabinets.  Speaking of which, I set a new personal record today: I sorted three concert sets and put all of the music away in just under three hours! I guess after about seven years, I have developed a pretty good system. I also spent time volunteering through the QSOA at an instrument petting zoo at the Quincy Public Libreary-watching little kids try to play the trumpet is very entertaining! And I even learned the trumpet call that is used at horse races for the ESA Illinois State Convention!

Words of Advice:
"My theory is, if you confident you can pull off anything- even if you have NO CLUE what you're doing." -Jessica Alba