Gotta get out

Most days, I live in my mind. I staff museum sites at a park, and there are many hours of the day where my own inner voices carry on a heated dialogue while I intermittently sit, stand, and talk with visitors.   This winter was a rough one for me, both emotionally and for my immune system. On…

Talk to everyone because you just never know

There are many people who have walked in and out of my life and had a formative affect on the person I am today, how I engage with the world around me, and the values I try to embrace and infuse into the work I do, particularly with regard to sustainability and songwriting. I wonder…

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…

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…

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…