Give My Regards to Broadway

Wednesday saw the end of my six-month co-op with the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ya know, ASCAP) in Manhattan, between Lincoln Center and Central Park.  Y'all saw the Facebook statuses bragging about how cool it was, tweets about the #commuterlife, and snaps showing off this city and counting down the days until I land in the next one.  I just wanted to reflect a bit, and thought I'd share. 

The first thing I saw when I
stepped off the elevator

I didn’t get to take much advantage of Manhattan during my time here.  I had four hours of commuting to do per day, I wasn’t old enough to go out with my coworkers, and I didn’t have the money to go out to dinner, except occasionally.  My life consisted of getting up at 6:30 am to be at work in the Upper West Side at 10, leaving early to catch the 5:41 express train to be home at 7, and being too tired and broke to do anything else.  That was 4 days a week.  I taught bass lessons and worked at China Garden the other three.  The only days I didn’t work were the days we went to Woodloch, I went to Boston, or we had a family obligation.  There was no day off.

Having said all of that, there really was no day I didn’t love my time at ASCAP.  I can confidently say that my worst days of co-op--days when trains were delayed, I had to walk blocks in pouring rain, or my projects got dull or didn’t make sense--were still happier than most people’s best days of co-op.  That’s because I’m in a field where I love what I do, and because I got to work with some of the best people I’ve ever met.  

There were certainly some fantastic adventures on the way.  I got to see understand the public performance royalties system.  I was looking for the contact information of a Mr. Jasen when I found instead the address of Mr. Mick Jagger.  I got to work the Deems Taylor Awards, play bass on a recording at MSR Studios with Sachal Vasandani for the kids of America SCORES, hand plaques to Paul Williams to hand to honorees at the Jazz Wall Event (where I also sat two feet away from Esperanza Spalding ((stick with it until the bass solo at 3:21)) and saw a breath-taking upright bass trio tribute Charles Mingus), and exchange a smile with Ne-Yo at the Foundation Awards, just to name the first few things that come to mind.  

Runyonland,
NYC

Even when the projects and events were less exciting, the positive impact we were having made it so worthwhile.  The Plus Awards project benefitted hard-working, lesser-known, up and coming songwriters and composers.  The Green database was compiled to keep track of bands and industry organizations who take part in and promote environmentally friendly touring.  ASCAP’s Songwriter Residency with America SCORES brings pro songwriters into a classroom to write and record a song with underprivileged kids.  How can you not feel good about work like this?  

I was also very fortunate.  I don’t think there was a better group of people anywhere, at any company, to guide and support me through my first full-time professional experience than the group I found in the Membership Department of ASCAP.  

Some of my most fond memories of these people are:

-Meeting Michael Kerker and playing the “What’s My Favorite Musical” game.  Sue and Shelby scoured his Broadway-themed office for clues as I stumped him with Company. 
-The CMJ event at the Webster Hall Studio, where everyone was mindful of the X’s painted onto my hands.
-When neither Cia nor Jason wanted to deal with Lindsey Stirling’s Plus Awards application because they couldn’t decide whether she was Concert or Electronica.  I tried to explain Lindsey’s work to Cia by showing her a video.  She misunderstood the concept, and thought Lindsay’s style of dancing was called “the dub-step.” 
-Locating Alex’s desk with Shelby by following a list of clues like kindergarteners on a Treasure Hunt.
-Shelby’s insistence I read Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In, and the effect it had on my perspective.
-Bonding with Jason over the band twenty-one pilots and, naturally, getting sick on the day he had an extra ticket to a show. (I’m 3 for 3 at being sick when they’re in town.)

MEET THE CAST: Shelby, Sachal, Sue, Nick, myself

Every person I met was respectful of my time, my commute, and even my lowly intern status.  People wanted to hear about my life and my school and my musical experience.  Nearly everyone sat me down at some point to ask what I wanted to do in the long run, and genuinely wanted to help me figure out how to get there.  

I could paint you a picture of the whole web of people, but you’d be here reading all day.  All you need to know is that there was never a dull moment.  I have genuinely loved working with Sue, Shelby, Jason, Michael, Nick, Luis, Mike, Danelle, Nicole, JJ, Andrew, Eric, Brianne, Alex, Alex, Michelle, Cia, and the rest of the people I met working with the Foundation and Marketing in the last few weeks.  Judging by the number of people that have told me they’d like to have me back at ASCAP as a full-time employee one day, I think they’ve liked working with me as well.  

Then I think of Boston, and I feel the whole city breathing inside me.  That sounds dramatic, but I can’t explain it any other way.  It’s like I’m imagining all the adventures I’ll have all over Boston, but in reverse.  Boston will be having its adventures all over me.  It’s like I’m on a roller coaster.  We’ve just pulled up to the peak and we’re pointing toward the sky, ready to climb.  

The thing is, I’m excellent with ‘hello,’ but abysmal with ‘goodbye.’  If I could live both lives, both cities, and both sets of adventures at once, I would.  I don’t like leaving.  

#nofilter

I’ll miss walking up Eighth Ave or Broadway to work everyday, ever in awe of this city, even after months of walking the same street.  I’ll miss the view of Lincoln Center, with its beautiful fountain and plaza.  I’ll miss Central Park lunch hours.  I’ll miss Michael’s pop quizzes on Broadway show tunes, Jason popping his head into the Conference Room to tell a cheesy joke, trading off music preferences with Nick, Sue critiquing my posture, and leaning on Shelby’s cubicle wall every morning to chat before getting to work.  I sincerely hope that this farewell is only for now at 1900 Broadway.

But I am ready to be a college student again.  I’m excited to play music in four ensembles, live with people my own age, and galavant all over Boston at any hour of the night.  

When I stepped off the train of my last commute--at least, for this co-op--I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.  For one, I drove over train tracks a total of 172 times and never got run over, which was probably my biggest fear all of these months.  Really though, I was proud of myself.  It was not an easy six months of living, and I still left the office on my last day teary-eyed and grateful and sad that it was over.  

What all of this boils down to is that I had a fantastic co-op experience, and it’s left me feeling optimistic about everything there is to come.  I can’t have New York and Boston together, but I’m lucky to have either of them.  Both are homes to communities of people I love, and I can do work that makes me happy in either.  I am as grateful as I am fortunate.  

To everyone in both cities, thank you 

for being part of this crazy adventure with me.