Marsha

“Jack of all trades, Master of none” is how I describe myself most of the time. I have a BS degree in Physical Education, LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) license, US Army Reserve Veteran, experience in the food industry, worked as a Healthcare Fraud auditor for years, Medical Coder, love doing home improvements, buying cars and so much more. If you were to tell me (back 20 years ago or so) that I would be involved in the music world as much as I am now, I would have probably said, “have you lost your mind”! Music has always been a part of my life, like many others, but I never thought it would have made such an impact as it has. Music is not just a background sound, a “pick me up” or a sing-along road trip activity to me any longer. Music is now an everyday staple in my household, it drives our (Michelle Lee and I) future, it fuels my passion but most of all, it gives me a deep sensation of happiness by seeing others touched, healed and moved by music that is created by people just like you and me.

I have to admit, I never listened to country until my middle school years. How did I come to like country music you ask? Well, let me tell you the condensed version that I love to tell since it is funny but honestly, it was also a great time in life. Friends of mine and their mom (my second mom) loved Texas and country music – there was nothing better than those two things, well, besides her baking. I heard “Don’t Mess with Texas” A LOT! Image riding in a small car (all four of us) on a highway and listening to music that you did not know nor like. Well, as my friends had always taught me, I spoke up and said, “I really don’t like country music, can we change the music to something else”. You know that sound from a record scratched or nails on a chalkboard… Well, the sound that came from the halting car was just the beginning of what was to come! That sound was followed by mom and the girls yelling one simple word, “NO!” actually, probably more like, “HELL NO!!!” – Ha Ha! Don’t worry, as you can see, I made it out alive, but I can honestly tell you that from that point on, I have LOVED and still LOVE COUNTRY music.

As for bluegrass music, it did not come into my life for the most part until I met Michelle Lee. Needless to say, when I met her, I had no idea what she did or capacity of what she did. I quickly learned what was all involved in radio broadcasting and more of behind-the-scenes of the music world. As country music has been changing over the last few years, bluegrass music was a refreshing sound to my ears. For me, bluegrass today resembles the country music I fell in love with. It all is apparent that bluegrass is and has been the backbone to the foundation of country music.

There I go again, sorry, I got side-tracked. I was telling you about myself and got carried away with music. As I mentioned before, I have been described as a “Jack of all trades, Master of none”. After graduating and obtaining the good ole High School Diploma, I ventured on to college. I graduated with a BS Degree in Physical Education with, unfortunately, no real desire to teach in schools. As the first person in my family to graduate from college, I felt accomplished but not challenged as much anymore. That is when I decided to sign up for the US Army and serve our country. My dad was a SMSgt (Senior Master Sargeant) within the Air Force so you can only imagine how great the conversation was with my parents after signing! Once again, you can see that I made it out alive again. Ha Ha! Once the dust settled, my parents were accepting and the banter between my dad (Air Force) and I (Army) began. Joining the US Army was one of the proudest things I have ever done in my life. It challenged me, built me up in many areas, gave me more love for my country but most of all, it allowed me to follow my two papa’s and dad’s footsteps. During my years in the military, I was trained by some of the best. I earned Field Medic (91B) in Ft Sam Houston, TX followed by Nursing (91C) at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, DC.

Returning home after the years of training, I began my civilian career in the physical therapy world. It allowed me to use my knowledge gained through my training and also allowed me to help others. Through those years, I grew professionally from a physical therapist aide to an assistant of a very successful spine surgeon at one of the largest Orthopedic practices in Ohio.

As a person that likes to be challenged in different ways, I was fortunate to get hired on at the State of Ohio Auditors Office. As an Assistant Auditor III, I was part of a division that audited Medicaid Providers within the state of Ohio. As my medical background was beneficial, I studied to become a CPC (Certified Professional Coder) with AAPC (American Academy of Professional Coders). This job was definitely an eye opener to another side of the medical field. As it was more from the desk side of things, I found myself missing the patient interaction.

That void landed me my current position as an LPN Homecare nurse with a major hospital here in Ohio. I provide nursing services to one patient within their home. This allows for patients to receive the nursing care in the comfort of their home – one that requires constant medical care but not severe enough to be in the hospital.

Fast forward to today, I can add Broadcaster, Writer and Songwriter to my list of trades. With the world of bluegrass music and broadcasting side of things brought into my life, my brain saw a whole new world of challenges. Although the challenges have made my life much busier, it has definitely brought excitement, joy and fun. Make sure to check back here on michelleleeonair.com to read about my experiences of becoming a Broadcaster of my own show “Marsha’s 2 Notes”, writer for Michelle Lee On Air’s website (Artist/Album Spotlight of the Month) and a songwriter through the awesome organization of Operation Song.