So many opportunities

I am now in negotiations with two retirement providers. I spoke with 60 final year MMP students (teacher trainees who do most of their study via the computer, but come on campus for block courses) yesterday about being available for: singing lessons, help with school choir, help with use of voice as teacher, face-to-face and via skype. I enjoyed socialising with them last night at the Sahara Tent, and had good conversations with interested students. My list of singing students for next year grows each month.

Today I go to speak at a Women in Leadership conference being held here at the University of Waikato. The Hilda Ross Glee Club is going to come and entertain at lunchtime, and then I am going to talk to the conference about use of voice, and I am sure the same things will come up with them as came up with the trainee teachers; how to preserve your voice, sound authoritative, affect display, and of course we will do some singing, because it will make them feeel good, and help them to remember my messages.

I am also going to talk with the professional studies people here in the Faculty of Education about me coming and guesting in one of the years of the student teacher's study, to give them these messages sooner. Anectodally, and from my own experience, so many of them do not understand how they sound, and how they can sound better, more effective, and be more aware of the tool that their use of voice is in the classroom.

Possibilities are multiplying!

On Thursday morning, July 1st I had a singing session with second-year MMP students (MMP stands for Mixed Media Presentation, and the students have a week on campus three times a year and do the rest of their learning online).

I gave them all one of my new business cards, and talked about what I am planning to do: retirement setting choirs, and singing lessons. The question came up about teaching singing via skype, and that is what I wanted to do about five years ago, but the technology was not up to it, so of course I said yes! From there it led to working with school choirs in country areas, where access to expertise is not possible, so the strands to my work for 2011 are getting more and more varied.

By the end of the weekend, the basics of my new business website will be up and running. To think that the first inkling of potential redundancy only arose a month ago leaves me breathless, so much has happened already!