Reflection

I will admit, at first, I found this assignment very difficult to start. I am not necessarily a business centered individual, and it was hard to find something that would set me and my potential business apart.

I make the remark during my introduction that I am a student who grew up with a learning disability. At first, it was hard for me to find things that would click with me. I discovered a love for music at a very young age, and, again as referenced earlier, was placed into music lessons shortly thereafter where my musical gifts and aptitudes would soon be discovered.

As I proceed through the MET program, I am constantly trying to find ways to extend my wings so to speak. Yet at the same time, I’m trying to remain loyal to my roots and trying to show off the skills that I have, and trying to refine them at the same time. This particular assignment gave me a huge challenge at first. Do I do a music-based enterprise? If so, what does it look like? What does it do? Or, do I branch away from music? What else is there out there? What should I explore? I actually found myself in a bit of a panic, and started consulting with family and friends, trying to find which direction I should proceed in for this project.

In late 2021, I began working with Burnaby City Councillor Joe Keithly on his project: Harmony for All. Due to conflicts and obstacles along the way, the project has somewhat stalled, but there is still interest and investment, and I look forward to seeing this project proceed in the future. The goal of this project was to put instruments into the hands of under privileged children that may want to pursue music. I originally came up with an idea of an enterprise that could be “the next level” of that original project, but as I ran through it in my head, the idea started to lose steam. I went back to the drawing board. I thought once again about something non-musical, but as I went through the “Ventures” tab, it was hard to try and think of an idea that hasn’t been done yet. This drew me back to music, something that I noticed was lacking in this area. I thought about the OER that I co-created earlier this term with a partner. I began thinking “how can I implement immersive experiences with music education?” Did I find resources? To a degree, yes. I actually found some pretty cool ideas. After further consultation, I found that, while the ideas were neat and fun, an actually practical application for properly teaching music simply wasn’t possible. That’s what then drew me back to the original idea that I’d had in the start: an enterprise that makes music accessible to anyone, regardless of skill level, interest level, age, or income. I did some research, and I flew with it. It seemed natural, make music accessible. Only because someone was able to make music accessible for me at a young age was I able to pursue it as an interest, and then further on into a career. I am grateful and thankful every day that I am able to call music my career, and I am living in my dream of being able to inspire students on a daily basis through music. Through this enterprise, which would be amazing if it were to come to fruition, more students could learn to express themselves, could learn to discover themselves, and could learn to connect and love the arts through music.

-Adam Turpin, March 27, 2024