Nearly every week (save for a few weeks in July and August), I take the bus and metro to a refugee center near Molenbeek to write songs from the written and spoken words of immigrants in search of a better life. Even though I volunteer, I think of this work as my once a weekday…
Category: songwriting
If I could be a word
I headed to the refugee asylum center yesterday afternoon sans chien (without dog). I had left our new wolfie dog in his plastic crate for the first time, and I was nervous at the state my husband might find him in. we texted back and forth, me from bus 17 on my way out of…
The best is yet to come
In January 2017, I began volunteering at a refugee asylum center near the center of Brussels. I did a lot of research and contacted many places and organizations before happening upon one that gave a positive response to my request to offer songwriting from stories. When I participated in an entrepreneur accelerator program in Lowell,…
Sous la pluie
The woman who wrote the song from a couple of Mondays ago was very inspiring. She was reticent to sing, as most people tend to be. I had asked the group already if anyone was feeling brave and the men had shied away entirely. She wasn’t sure what to sing, but as soon I started…
Jingle all the way
I believe that every person is an artist and a musician. I have witnessed people subconsciously tapping their foot along to a song after insisting they had no sense of rhythm or musical ability. I think responding to music is a natural part of what it means to be human on this earth. Melodies and…
Zindgi Sakhta/Life is hard
Every Monday, I visit the Petit-Château. With ukulele in hand, I walk through every kind of weather to get there. We stand outside for two hours, writing poetry and turning poetry into music. By the end, my body is freezing, but my heart is warm. Each time I visit the château, I wonder if I will…
Never give up
I knew that I was going to be more on the spot at my second visit to the refugee asylum center. As I walked from the metro to the center, I could hear the voice of my inner critic, chatting away in my ear. What if you aren’t able to come up with a…
Come on up to the house
Since arriving in Brussels in the beginning of December 2016, I have been sending inquiries to any and all agencies that I can find who assist immigrants and refugees coming to the city from other countries. I have followed several possible leads but only recently finally happened upon one where I can volunteer and songwriting…
Writing Alfredo’s song: Part I
The Spoken Story In May 2016, I interviewed a friend of my mom’s who has been living with AIDS for over 30 years. I am always searching for a person who might be interested in sharing their story with me, and my mom told me that her friend was over the moon when she mentioned…
How to overcome fear and just play?
Since parting ways with my music partner nearly a year ago, I have been reticent to pick up any instrument and try my hand at solo composing. Fear is what holds me back. Pure and not so simple fear. As with so many seemingly insurmountable challenges I have experienced in life, I know that I…
Guiding Song 