Story-to-Song is an experience and an abstract one at that. For this reason, it can be difficult to describe in written words alone. When applications I have submitted for grants, conferences, and research opportunities are turned down, I try to lift my spirits with the reminder that I simply have to improve my skills at…
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Getting Started
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…
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…
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…
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…
Sometimes scary is okay
I did something scary today. I put myself out of my comfort zone, and it surprised me how very far out of it I felt. There is safety in numbers, and I have experienced this first hand in musical performance. When I went out busking last week, I went with a friend. We kept each…
Make the audience your friend
In my experience performing with ukulele in hand, I have found that befriending the audience helps alleviate much of the stress from being vulnerable on the stage. When I befriend the audience, I am no longer standing up there in front of a bunch of strangers. I can create a temporary community with everyone in…
Guiding Song 