It is common for people to know what they want to do in life, but rare for them to actively pursue it. We often chase money, fame, or convenience instead of pursuing what we really want to do. We go through life telling ourselves we will follow our passion when we reach a specific point in life, but often that point never arrives. South Hill resident Bo Bestvina has chosen a different approach. He explores his interests and turns them into ways to support himself and the community.

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Bestvina arrived in Bellingham four years ago equipped with a master’s degree in cultural anthropology and a teaching certificate. Thinking that teaching was what he wanted to do, he worked in the Nooksack School District for a couple of years before realizing that while he enjoyed working with youth, the traditional classroom experience wasn’t for him.

 

While teaching elementary school music, he volunteered at the Whatcom County Juvenile Detention Center, where he taught music. This experience gave him the idea that he could still work with youth teaching music, but in a different capacity. Knowing that as long as he was playing guitar, he was happy, he leaned into that. Bestvina began teaching private music lessons on guitar, piano, and ukulele while continuing to volunteer at the detention center, using the skills he had learned in the classroom.

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“Teaching music at an elementary school really helped me understand voice and how music works at a real elementary level. That served me so well, and I think that experience was probably better than any amount of education I could have gotten,” said Bestvina.

While teaching music, both on an individual level and with youth facing life struggles, Bestvina felt things were coming together. As a teen, he had struggled with behavioral issues and hadn’t made the best choices. Just as music had helped him, he could see that the music was helping the kids in the detention center, both to build confidence and to get a break from everything the kids had to face.

 

One of the best moments was when he bumped into one of the kids he had taught in the detention center at the Bellingham Public Library. The kid was there with his grandma, and they both thanked Bestvina and told him that in the future, he would stay out of trouble. It showed Bestvina that while all the interventions in the world can happen, sometimes it’s simply a positive, supportive adult that a kid needs most.

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Equipped with a desire to increase his influence through music and a supportive fiancé, Robin Cummings, Bestvina started Gifts of Music NW, a nonprofit with the mission of helping others discover self-confidence through music. As he dove in, he expanded his approach to connecting with people. He decided to include the other end of the population by going into senior living, where he leads classes and the seniors sing along.

 

“The seniors are so sweet. I get some of them that keep coming back to these classes, and it’s a big part of their day. They know I’m coming, and they get excited. I give them binders with the lyrics in them for songs like Frank Sinatra and Elvis,” said Bestvina.

 

While Gifts of Music NW is young, it is growing and having an influence. He held a fundraising event at Firehouse Café featuring live music and a silent auction, and he has begun teaching music classes through Bellingham Parks and Recreation. You can learn more about Gifts of Music NW, find class schedules, and stay up to date on events at www.giftsofmusicnw.org

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While teaching music fills one of his buckets, Bestvina has multiple buckets to fill. With a guitar in hand, he loves to perform. He has an indie-folk style, telling stories through his songs. Whether the song’s about meeting a special person at a loud concert, being kind, or figuring out what to do with unmatched socks, you will be captivated until the end while he weaves his tale. He’s also happy to sit on a stool and play instrumental for as long as people want to listen. His music can be found on his personal website at www.bobestvina.com, or you can find him playing at venues around Bellingham. Bestvina plays mostly originals, and in addition to traditional songwriting, he also writes children’s songs.

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In parallel with teaching, writing music, and founding a nonprofit, Bestvina also expresses his creativity by writing. The journey of writing a novel began with a gift from a friend that was a kit on how to write a novel in three months. Five months later, he had his first draft, and five years later, his book Culture Clock was published and can be found on the shelves of Village Books.

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“I was living in Seattle, and it was not the same type of arts community, so to come up here and, within two years, publish a book, be a musician, and start a nonprofit is exciting. I didn’t know any of this would happen or that there was this whole community doing things like that,” said Bestvina.

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Bo is excited to continue building a life on the southside with his fiancé, centered around doing things they enjoy, whether that involves music, writing, or enjoying the view of the bay while walking down to Fairhaven.