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Managing a musical environment is ideal ‘retirement’
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| Nan Bigelow, administrator for Keene Community Music Center. |
Nan Bigelow
The particulars
Age: 72
Resident of Keene since 1993
Single; one adult daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren
Education: B.A. Humanities, 1979, Charter Oak College, Hartford, Conn.
Employment: Administrator, Keene Community Music Center, 39 Central Square, Suite 300, Keene 03431; 352-6011
Volunteer affiliations
Founder, Miracles in Motion, Keene
About two years ago, shortly before she retired as administrative assistant for a local accounting firm, Nan Bigelow launched a volunteer career with Keene Community Music Center.
“I had been thinking about getting back into something, and I overheard a client talk about Keene Community Music Center,” she said. “When I asked what they needed, she said a treasurer. So I went to the next board meeting, offered my services and was appointed board treasurer.”
It wasn’t the first time that Bigelow, who lives in Keene, displayed community spirit.
She’s a longtime volunteer with her neighborhood church. And, nearly a decade ago, she founded a local nonprofit therapeutic riding center, which she subsequently handed over to others.
As for her preparation for the music center, she concedes, “My musical talent is in my heart and my ears. I’m a music appreciator. And, as anyone would tell you, the audience is very important.”
Her managerial skills soon proved invaluable to the nonprofit. Last August, she came out of retirement to become administrator for the local music education and performance center.
Since then, as the organization’s sole paid staff member, she single-handedly oversees a wide range of duties. Besides managing the office, she greets visitors, answers telephone and e-mail inquiries, performs bookkeeping duties, updates computer databases and schedules teacher studio use.
She’s paid only for a 10-hour work week, but she regularly donates another eight to 10 hours each week — to write periodic newsletters, organize public music recitals and performances, and other essential tasks.
“Nan’s the glue that holds the organization together,” said board member Julie King. “She’s the person who connects the board and teachers. We’re not there all the time. She’s the one who knows how things are going daily.”
“She’s also full of ideas,” said King. “She’s always on the alert for new things we could be doing.”
Active and energetic both at work and in her leisure time, Bigelow pursues a variety of outside interests. A professional cake decorator on the side, she’s also a crafter who creates and markets decorative stamped gift card sets. An avid reader of mystery novels, she’s equally passionate about British sitcoms televised on PBS, particularly those featuring British actress Dame Judi Dench. Beyond that, she’s a doting grandmother who often accompanies her two grandchildren around Keene.
With no plans to slow down, she thoroughly enjoys her new music center career.
“It’s an exciting place to be,” she said. “I have the opportunity to give back to the community — or to give forward, as I like to say. I have the opportunity to listen to fantastic music; to listen to our students, who range from kids to retirees, and to appreciate week to week how much they’ve improved.”
“I have the opportunity to use my knowledge and my skills, both computer and administrative,” she said. “And just as important, it gets me out of the house every day.”
~ Joan Geary
“Making a Difference,” a weekly feature, is a collaborative project of The Keene Sentinel and Giving Monadnock, which seeks to raise public awareness of the role of nonprofit agencies in the Monadnock Region. For more information, e-mail info@givingmonadnock.org or call 357-7171.
“I had been thinking about getting back into something, and I overheard a client talk about Keene Community Music Center,” she said. “When I asked what they needed, she said a treasurer. So I went to the next board meeting, offered my services and was appointed board treasurer.”
It wasn’t the first time that Bigelow, who lives in Keene, displayed community spirit.
She’s a longtime volunteer with her neighborhood church. And, nearly a decade ago, she founded a local nonprofit therapeutic riding center, which she subsequently handed over to others.
As for her preparation for the music center, she concedes, “My musical talent is in my heart and my ears. I’m a music appreciator. And, as anyone would tell you, the audience is very important.”
Her managerial skills soon proved invaluable to the nonprofit. Last August, she came out of retirement to become administrator for the local music education and performance center.
Since then, as the organization’s sole paid staff member, she single-handedly oversees a wide range of duties. Besides managing the office, she greets visitors, answers telephone and e-mail inquiries, performs bookkeeping duties, updates computer databases and schedules teacher studio use.
She’s paid only for a 10-hour work week, but she regularly donates another eight to 10 hours each week — to write periodic newsletters, organize public music recitals and performances, and other essential tasks.
“Nan’s the glue that holds the organization together,” said board member Julie King. “She’s the person who connects the board and teachers. We’re not there all the time. She’s the one who knows how things are going daily.”
“She’s also full of ideas,” said King. “She’s always on the alert for new things we could be doing.”
Active and energetic both at work and in her leisure time, Bigelow pursues a variety of outside interests. A professional cake decorator on the side, she’s also a crafter who creates and markets decorative stamped gift card sets. An avid reader of mystery novels, she’s equally passionate about British sitcoms televised on PBS, particularly those featuring British actress Dame Judi Dench. Beyond that, she’s a doting grandmother who often accompanies her two grandchildren around Keene.
With no plans to slow down, she thoroughly enjoys her new music center career.
“It’s an exciting place to be,” she said. “I have the opportunity to give back to the community — or to give forward, as I like to say. I have the opportunity to listen to fantastic music; to listen to our students, who range from kids to retirees, and to appreciate week to week how much they’ve improved.”
“I have the opportunity to use my knowledge and my skills, both computer and administrative,” she said. “And just as important, it gets me out of the house every day.”
~ Joan Geary
“Making a Difference,” a weekly feature, is a collaborative project of The Keene Sentinel and Giving Monadnock, which seeks to raise public awareness of the role of nonprofit agencies in the Monadnock Region. For more information, e-mail info@givingmonadnock.org or call 357-7171.
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