The second in a mini series about writing a song from a spoken story.
Tag: lyrics
In the light of justice
I have been incorporating songwriting into my day job in every and any way that I can this past year and a half. Recently, the word went out through the National Park Service for park sites to find creative ways to commemorate the 1963 March on Washington for the 50th anniversary. In a conversation with…
Performance do’s and don’ts
In my last post, I began a dialogue about musical performance. This dialogue was inspired by a fellow musician, who wrote to me recently with questions on the subject. One her questions was how to remember music when you are in front of an audience. I reflected on this question. Remembering lyrics has always come…
Performance jitters
A musician across the proverbial pond recently sent me a message about performance. The questions she raised were perfect fodder for a dialogue, and I was honored by her words and her willingness to be vulnerable and reach out. For me, becoming comfortable with performance has been a long, bumpy ride, and even today there…
Hooked on Story-to-Song
The stories people share seem to take hold of me. They haunt me as I begin the process of creating a song. Just a few days ago, I asked a coworker if she would share a story about Lowell. She shared a fairly dark story of going into an abandoned building that was slated to…
Layers and layers
Composing a Story-to-Song is a multi-faceted approach to songwriting. It is not only writing a song but also discovering and revealing layers of truth from a person’s story. In one story, there can be many layers of meaning, and it is my job as a composing guide to try to find the meaning that will…
