STUDENTS' GALLERY
Introduction
Enjoy some music created by past and present students of my One Year Programme. They kindly gave me permission to share their work and their journey of creativity.
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Rosemarie
Beautiful Daisy
I wrote this song for my youngest daughter in the year of her 30th birthday.
I wanted her song to be a celebration of the joy she has brought into my life and of her blossoming into adulthood and finding her own way forward.
Time
'This song came about from a major event in my life which made me realise just how strong and powerful I could be in overcoming adversity.
It changed my perception of myself as a passive passenger in life to someone who could take control. I would not really have recognised this had it not been for songwriting as in writing this song I was able to discover this expression of power and put it into words and music.
I was amazed at myself which only deepened the discovery and made it all the more exciting.'
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Helen
Charles
Forgive me as you say 'Goodbye'
‘I wrote this song to say sorry to my ex wife. It is also my response to the letter she left when she said her sad goodbye. Doing so helps me with the heartbreak; which is still raw for me many years on’.
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‘Singing and songwriting in Sarah’s Year Group is the best and most creative thing I do. Love it!
I did not sing and thought I could not. But Sarah changed all that in her unique, kind and professional way.
Anyone can sing; if Sarah is your teacher!’
Perimeter Fence
In August 2021 I was on my annual retreat in Atsitsa, Skyros. I did some deep image work with Dina Glouberman. I was a vase upon a plinth and, as Dina, pointed out, I would probably only be seen once (if at all).
She took me on a journey and ultimately the vase was smashed but I wasn't. My soul remained.
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Six months later I found myself revisiting this experience and using it to write my song 'Perimeter Fence'. It is from my heart and about my heart.
Musically, although I knew how I wanted it to sound, I was grateful to work closely with Sarah to create the melody.
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In August 2022 I sang my song in Atsitsa in front of Dina. This felt very special.
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Tracy
No Love Songs
There is something special about song writing that I find hard to pinpoint. It means more to me than, say, writing a piece of poetry or some other musing, even though both can be equally lyrical and engage the soul.
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The blending of melody and words, and the bringing of the two together in a recording or performance, with professional help and guidance, can be so rewarding and life-affirming, whatever the message in the song.
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This song from 2022 celebrates the delights of self-care and forgiveness as well as true connection and authenticity in relationships, with a tongue-in-cheek jab at the romanticism and sentimentality of more conventional love songs – even though I love loads of those.
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I was looking for sincerity laced with irony – I hope it comes over that way!
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