As a member of AFM Local 11-637 in Louisville, I developed a great deal of respect for what it is that the union does for professional musicians. After several years of membership there, I decided to focus on my career goal of being a Broadway musician and conductor in NYC. Joining Local 802 is one of the most beneficial moves that a professional musician can make. I hope that my membership in the union will provide me with the opportunity to find work in Broadway musicals, a goal that I have worked to make a reality for several years. I was the musical director and conductor for the Elizabethtown Symphony in Kentucky and have been honored to take part in many recent outreach performances to help bring the gift of music to people in under-served communities in several states. One of the biggest challenges that I have had to overcome is the struggle of being a classical saxophonist trying to find work in the orchestral field. But through all of the struggles, I have found that music for me is still a guiding beacon, one that I have easily been able to follow with great joy.