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: inner voice
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…
Alternate Reality and Alter Ego
I promised that I would be pushing the proverbial envelope with regard to my music and songwriting career, and I am a keeper of promises! This past Thursday was Halloween. I have not dressed up or gone out for a Halloween event in over a decade. For Halloween 2013, I decided to dress in the…
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…
How I found Story to Song
The second in a mini series about writing a song from a spoken story.
All by myself
It can feel pretty lonely up there at the mic, and I have found ways to avoid direct contact with the audience while I am performing. I often sing with my eyes closed. It helps me to feel the rhythm and to focus on the story of the song. Somehow, with my eyes closed I…
Guiding Song 