Today we’d like to introduce you to Naomi Joy.
Hi Naomi, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in a very loving musical and Christian family. My father was my inspiration and I adored him. My mother was my confidante and close friend. I was the youngest sister of four other siblings and enjoyed many hours of joy-filled playtime with my youngest brother and my many pets. I also spent many joyful hours of music study playing my saxophone but was often sent to the backyard because of how loud I would play.
I couldn’t imagine a day that I wouldn’t enjoy playing with my little brother and our many toys until I entered high school and eventually my love for band and music exceeded everything that I thought I had loved the most. My love for music led me to practice playing saxophone for many hours.
I remember apologizing to my younger brother that I would no longer be able to play with him as often as I used to. He was saddened by this but I felt so very strongly that I had crossed a barrier in my life that demanded a stronger, more mature, focused, and ambitious version of myself that required a transition.
Music, marching band, and my saxophone became my new source of passionate play. It quickly began to unfold as the joy of my life.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My journey with music has been very fruitful but the few challenges that I have encountered have been balancing my career and family.
I have had to make everything revolve around my music career in order to both provide for my family as well as fulfill my calling. My family has supported these efforts in many ways.
This is certainly a walk of faith but it is also a rewarding investment that brings me joy.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an Author, Grammy Nominated Music Educator, and Saxophonist in Orlando, Florida.
My greatest joy is sharing my love for God through ministry, education, public speaking engagements, and music performance events.
I have appeared on national television to include The Wonderful World of Disney Magical Holiday Celebration aired on ABC as well as have had appearances on AfroTV, local and national television networks, as well as radio.
I frequently perform throughout central Florida in special event bookings, ministry, private events, and corporate events to include the Orlando International Airport. I also have performed in Jazz Festivals to include The 2017 Orlando Jazz Festival, The 2022-2025 Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings’ Jazz in the Park and District 6 Commissioner Bakari Burns’ Jazz in the Park, and the 2023 Apopka International Jazz Festival as well as the 2023 City of Apopka Emancipation Event, and many more.
I currently hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from Florida A&M University and am currently in my 16th year of teaching music as an Orange County Public Schools Music Educator.
I currently serve as the Orange County Public Schools Director of Bands at Jones High School in Orlando, Florida. I have received several honors as a musician and educator to include:
2022-2023 Orange County Public Schools HERO Teacher
2022-2023 Grammy Music Educator Nominee
2023-2024 1st Female Band Director of the Historic 1895 Institution: Jones High School
2023-2024 News 13 A+ Teacher Featured story
2023-2024 Legacy of Excellence Award Recipient from African American Women’s History Month Project, Inc. and the Poinsette Foundation
2024 Orange County Public Schools District 5 Spotlight Educator Award
2025 Speaker for the Association of Black Women Band Directors (ABWBD) Conference
I am an Endorsed Artist with BARI Woodwinds and Dukoff Mouthpieces and have released my 1st Music Album, “Love & Light”. I am also a published author of my 1st Book entitled “My Joy Journey” in which I share my life journey through faith.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Having a father like mine was one of the greatest gifts in my life. Willie Lawrence Nelson, Sr., was once my greatest inspiration, closest friend, and my absolute hero.
My fondest memories of my father were him singing, playing piano, and preaching the gospel in his tent revivals as well as our former home church in Lafayette, Louisiana.
I spent many hours with my Dad and younger brother fishing on his many boats. We talked for so many hours. He was such a confidante and he made me feel safe. He had an incredible sense of humor and had no filter. He was beautiful in a very unique way because his heart truly knew God. He was the epitome of tough love with a tender heart.
I saw a gentle yet strong nature in him. I saw a passion for music and sincere devotion to God. I watched him, followed him, and I truly loved him.
He passed away June 28th, 2024 after a long battle of health complications.
I am inspired to continue to pursue my passion for music, ministry, and education because of the love and constant encouragement that my father gave me.
I can hear his voice in my head saying, “That’s good Nay” and I keep going with a smile of determination. I have a lot of dreams and goals to pursue to include the calling and example of my father. It is my hope and prayer to one day also hear God say, “Well done.” Until then, I want my music and message of love, light, and hope to inspire others on their journey.
I am releasing a new music single:
“I Believe God” in dedication to my father Willie Nelson because he personally taught me to believe in God and to have unwavering faith in God’s promises and His word.
My father taught me not only to believe in God, but to also believe in myself. This poem that I wrote echoes those same sentiments.
A Gift In Time
By Naomi Joy Nelson
A solemn sentimental soul,
Reflective, yet compassionate,
Enduring when depleted,
Full of faith and won’t ever be defeated;
Strong, symbolic, and monumental;
With a song like the birds:
Delightful, yet whimsical.
With a heart to heal the world,
And a love for everyone,
She is deep, meditative,
playful and fun.
On a journey uniquely her own,
She only looks forward,
Thinking far ahead;
She can’t afford failure-
She is excellence in signature.
Divinely orchestrated,
Her God with her.
She smiles a smile of faith
for she is sure.
Surely beloved by God,
Handcrafted in love;
Clothed in light, beauty, and song. She is everything God thought of, and to Him she belongs.
Longing for hope, dreams, and prophecies to be fulfilled. She is ambitious, driven, and sometimes still.
Passionate, enduring, and cannot be contained in time; Belonging to two realms of life: she is prophetically placed-a vibration divine.
Accompanied by angels and a cloud of witnesses that rejoice: They are witness to the coming glory and await God’s trumpeting voice.
A rejoiceful reunion; a party of praise. An exuberant celebration-all hearts are amazed. She returns to her original state: the breath and thoughts of God; the family of believers that He always thought of.
She is divinely orchestrated, hand crafted in love; Forever enduring and enlightened from above.
Joyfully created, she is a perfect thought in God’s mind.
She is Crowned: A Gift in Time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.naomijoy.co
- Instagram: https://linktr.ee/naomijoymusic?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaaBpoaSgxu1lzFhn8RT2cvJDcp3-Wx3fL62rSvie8dvIsmQHu1Z0gzluO8_aem_RcJx9ym2gARS4yrPhMAesg
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18swvmb9Za/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Twitter: https://x.com/NaomiJoyMusic?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@naomijoy?si=Rw3rkKEL2593kIvd
- Other: https://linktr.ee/naomijoymusic?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=e70b4c14-09ad-4fc6-868b-685c0e6c484f
Image Credits
Mindy Kerr, Photographer
