SHARK REPELLANT, CHALETS, & FUTURE SUCCEES!
On November 3, 1948, a 36-year-old woman walked into a restaurant in Rouen, France, unaware that her life was about to change dramatically. Her name was Julia McWilliams; she was 6'2" and a former spy for the Office of Strategic Services (the precursor to the CIA and Special Forces). She spent the previous years doing things like helping develop shark repellent for the military and typing up classified documents. At this point, she'd never cooked a real meal in her life; the fanciest thing she'd eaten growing up in Pasadena was broiled mackerel.
Her husband, Paul, had picked the restaurant. He ordered for both of them because Julia couldn't read or speak French. When the first smell hit her, something oniony sizzling in butter, she leaned over and whispered, "What's a shallot?" She called it the most exciting meal of her life. Shortly thereafter, quit the OSS, enrolled in the world-renowned Cordon Bleu Cooking School, and became the culinary and cultural icon Julia Child.
Julia didn't become the "Julia Child" we know today until her late thirties and forties.
The spy became the chef. The intelligence officer became the teacher. Her most recognizable identity was not her first, and her first recipe was never published in a cookbook.
More than most teachers, music educators are so deeply invested in our programs that we often feel defined by our current role—band, choir, orchestra, or general music teacher. The schedule is demanding, and the cadence is almost ritualistic as the rhythm of rehearsals, performances, and assessments creates the illusion of a destination - only to restart the same cycle afterwards.
Julia Child's life reminds us that a career can pivot significantly, sometimes unexpectedly, and sometimes intentionally.
Regardless of where life takes you, your skills, such as managing rehearsals, motivating students, and building ensemble culture, are highly transferable and adaptable to many fields, hopefully helping you see your role in a new light.
You manage complex logistics. You motivate large groups. You communicate vision. You build culture. You teach discipline, collaboration, and resilience. These are not narrow skills. They are leadership skills. They are entrepreneurial skills. They are organizational skills. In a different setting, they might take on a completely new expression.
Look at me - same skill set as a teacher - different job.
Julia Child did not abandon discipline when she left intelligence work—she repurposed it. She applied structure, curiosity, and fearlessness to a new domain, focus, and passion. This isn't starting over; it's evolving.
Your years in the classroom may not be your final chapter, but they are shaping you in ways that will matter later.
None of this means that you must leave music education.
My hope is that you will remain in the classroom for decades and thrive there, but it also means you are not boxed in. If your path shifts—by choice or circumstance—it is not failure. It is adaptation. It is possibility.
Perhaps years from now, someone will know you for something entirely different than what you are doing today. They may not even realize the full story of where you began. That's okay. Like Julia Child, your earlier chapters may quietly power your later ones. The music you teach today may be the foundation for a life that unfolds in ways you haven't yet dreamed.
After all, Julia published her first cookbook at 49. Got her first TV show at 51. Was still launching a new series at 87.
Pretty good for a woman who didn't know what a shallot was at 36 and decided to follow what fascinated her.
Have a great week, my friends.
Scott