Monday was my first day in the Merrimack Valley Sandbox Winter Accelerator program. Six hours of orientation with first impressions, presentations, introductions, elevator pitches, and everything in between. It was the beginning of a new experience, one that promises to be challenging and transformative. My own first impression was one of slight intimidation. Despite the…
Category: composer
Playing in the Sandbox!
Good news for Story-to-Song! We have been chosen as a finalist for this year’s Merrimack Valley Sandbox Winter Accelerator Program: http://merrimackvalleysandbox.org/entrepreneur-program/accelerators/sandbox-2014-winter-accelerator/#tabs2-html This means, we will be learning about how to give our songwriting business a kickstart in Lowell and beyond. Thanks to all of our supporters from near and far for helping us get to…
Karma and Song (Revisited)
A few weeks ago, I wrote about being invited to talk about Story-to-Song and my work with songwriting on the Underground Radio station 91.5 WUML at Umass Lowell. It was a wonderful opportunity to talk about my experiences writing songs from stories and the work I have been doing here in Lowell. The show was…
Come see about me
Who is marieke slovin, and what is Story-to-Song? I am marieke. I am a woman in my early thirties searching for a way to bring the stories of everyday life into songs. I am small in stature and big in personality. My spirit, like my hair, is fiery and wild. I am an artist. I…
Pushing the proverbial envelope
I made a pact with my songwriting, artist self to try to do something important and meaningful each week with regard to music. I envisioned that this would be help me to stay on task in following my calling and creating the space in the universe and in my life to pursue a career as…
Karma and Song
It is nearing the end of my eleventh day as a furloughed federal employee. I am doing my best to keep busy and make the most of my time off. For me, keeping busy entails creative expression. I have passed many hours working at what keeps me feeling alive—songwriting. In the evenings, I have been…
What did you learn in school today?
I spent the past four years in a doctoral program studying sustainability education. With each year in the program, I began to view sustainability as something that begins from within. Practice what you preach Walk the talk Be the change These are common phrases I have heard that speak to my own definition of sustainability….
More of a good thing
In my mind, more music in the world is a wonderful thing. Combining music with the sharing of stories from real people and their lives is even better. The more songs I write from the stories of human lives, the more I want to spread those songs far, wide, and everywhere in between. This is…
Growing pains
I recently attempted Story-to-Song (STS) in a new forum. I had spent a week learning about an education technique called Facilitated Dialogue, a new realm the National Park Service is exploring for expanding beyond the formal interpretation techniques that have been employed for many years. Rather than the park ranger speaking as the authority on…
Demonstrating Story-to-Song
This third video in the “What is Story-to-Song” series is a live demonstration of the songwriting process. I share an original story and create a song on the spot. Join me in writing a song and then try your hand at writing your own! I hope you will share your thoughts, feedback, and songs with…
Guiding Song 