INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — A local singer was offered a chance at stardom in a surprising way.

Derek Gould is a music teacher at Paramount School of Excellence, but at night you can find him on the canal singing as a gondolier.

He said people often recognize him around the city because they hear him singing as they cruise the canal.

“Teaching is fantastic. Teaching is what I always wanted to do, but it unfortunately doesn’t pay all of my bills,” Gould said

This fall, Gould was gondoliering for a party of a few hundred people when someone stopped him. The next words he heard were the last thing he expected.

“He walks up to me, and very excitedly, he sticks his hand out, and he goes, ‘I’ve been listening to you sing all night. I want to give you my card. I’m an agent in New York,’” Gould recounted.

The man is with Love Productions. The company works with big name artists such as rapper Flo Rida.

“Someone out there thought I was talented enough that I could go somewhere with my voice,” Gould said. “If I have to fall back on stardom, maybe I can go that route.”

So far, Gould has yet to make the call, and said his love for his students is too great. However, he does admit to picking up the card when teaching gets tough.

“I don’t think that feeling really compares to the same sense of pride that you find in the students’ accomplishments,” Gould admitted.