The past year has seen a lot of changes for me. Resigning from your job is difficult at any time, especially when things are going well. Doing it when the economy is on the ropes and without having a clear picture of what comes next is even more of a challenge. So far the change has been a good thing. It has allowed me to do things I would not have been able to do otherwise, and it has allowed me to grow. Writing a book on teaching orchestra proved to be a challenge, but it was invigorating. It would have been impossible to create a performance series with a serious string quartet while doing my previous job. While it has been a lot of work it has been a lot of fun, and it has achieved its main goal of getting our quartet together to work on new and challenging music. Playing something worthwhile for the first time is exciting and fulfilling. Being elected as the ISTA president has been interesting, and I am looking forward to helping the organization become more functional. Trying to become an educational consultant is going slowly, but that is to be expected. I have had the opportunity to present at several events and I am hoping to create opportunities for the coming year. Taking a position with Griggs music is allowing me to expand into a new area where I can use some of the expertise I have gained over twenty-five years in the classroom. Trying to take the string shoppe at Griggs to a new level should prove to be quite a challenge, but it is one that is intriguing. It also allows me time to pursue my interests in consulting.
I look forward to serving a number of different constituencies in the coming year. I hope you are one of them. Get in touch. I wish each and every one of you an extremely gratifying new year.
Jerry