All is Found

Hold My Hand

My first full year teaching music to high school kids was definitely an adjustment after I finished my masters. Even though I go by Mrs. Ramsey in school, there are always a lot of kids who know my music. Sometimes it surprises me. Like sometimes I forget that I'm still a famous musician. To me, I just want to help grow the love music in some kids like I had the opportunity to have it grown in me when I was there age.

So after my first year of teaching I learned I just needed to get it out of the way the first week school started. Normally I would just flat out open up with yes, I am who you think I am. Yes I am friends with Taylor Swift and I do have her phone number. No we are not going to call her. If you want to talk to me about my active years as a musician, you can come and see me during my extra help hours after school.

By my third year of teaching, I've had it down to a science. Once the initial shock wore off I was able to get to know each of the kids I was teaching and I quickly learned who was actually here because they enjoyed playing music and who were here just because they had to take an elective.

Even though I basically retired from the active music industry scene to become a teacher, I still have a lot of connections in the music industry. I have co-written albums, produced some of the latest rock chart toppers and I have a steady stream of artists who are always open to come to Salem and sit and have a writing session with me.

Then one day out of the blue while I was at work I got a phone call from Toby, the CEO of my old label Astralwerks. I had to wait until I had a free period before I was able to pick up the voicemail from him. Every once and a while my old manager Alyssa would send me different offers from agencies who would want to work with me on different things, but as the years of me working from basically in the shadows started to grow, those emails would be less and less. So needless to say I was surprised to pick up the voicemail from Toby saying he had an offer for me that he wanted to discuss and to call him back.

I still had plenty of time before I had my next class to I just made sure the door was shut before I gave him a call back.

"Long time no talk Ashlyn, how's teaching being treating you?" He asked when he answered the phone.

"It's nice to hear from you Toby and it's been good. I really love my job." I said and smiled just thinking about it.

"It makes me really happy to hear that Ash. But I just got off the phone with some people and I wanted to run this by you in person, well over the phone because I know you are most likely at work right now. I got a call from a movie director by the name of Joseph Kosinski. He is directing the sequel to Top Gun and he called to see if you were possibly interested in writing the theme song for the movie." Toby said.

"Come again?" I asked confused.

"The director of the sequel of Top Gun called me to ask if you had any interest in writing the theme song for the movie?" Toby said.

"That's a challenge. Writing for a movie, would I even get to see it to get a feels as to what the song should be about?" I asked.

"If you want to do it, I'm sure we can figure out a way for you to either see what has been filmed already or even talk to the director about the film itself." Toby asked calmly.

"I'm interested, this sounds like a really cool challenge for me. I'm sure we can figure out how to make this work with me teaching here on the east coast. I wouldn't have to fly to see them film any of the movie right?" I asked thinking how I would even begin to explain to my boss that I need some time off to see parts of a movie being filmed on the other side of the country.