I would have loved to have been a music conductor. I can picture myself standing on the podium, baton in hand, swaying with every note as if the music were flowing through my entire body. There’s something magical about guiding dozens of musicians and watching individual instruments come together to create one breathtaking sound.

I don’t know if I have the technical skill for it, but I know I have the heart for it. Music has always had a way of stirring something deep inside me, and I imagine conducting would feel less like giving instructions and more like having a conversation without saying a single word.

Thinking about it made me curious, so I went down a rabbit hole reading about music conductors. I learned that women make up only about 20% to 30% of conductors, so it remains a profession dominated by men. But what made me smile even more was discovering that some of the world’s most accomplished conductors are Black women. Their talent, artistry, and leadership have earned them international recognition, proving once again that excellence has never been limited by race or gender.

Maybe in another life, I’d be standing before a full orchestra, completely lost in the beauty of the music, moving with every crescendo and every quiet whisper, forgetting that the rest of the world even exists. But I can always pretend in the privacy of my own home, baton in hand, swaying with the music as if I were conducting an orchestra through every crescendo, every pause, and every soaring note.