Songwriting is the act of baring one's soul to another in the form of words and music.
As a special series for Rare Disease Day (February 28) I decided to put together a presentation about GM1 which is the rare disease that 3 of our 4 children have been affected by. This was meant to educate and give people a basic understanding of all aspects of this disorder and hopefully raise awareness and funds for GM1 research.
Brainstorm – I wrote this song 11 years ago, so I’m trying to remember how I came up with the song. I think I just knew I wanted to write him a little lullaby and wanted it to be relaxing
My parents were visiting me and I told them I was trying to figure out what cover song I would do for December. My Mom told me that her favorite Christmas song is Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire. I replied, “ok, that’s the one then.” I arranged a jazzy piano version of this song back in college at USU. It happened to be the only time this one professor seemed to be impressed with me!
Brainstorming – This song is about an event in my life, the death of our child. But I also tried to write it in a way that would apply to anyone who has cared for a terminally ill loved one who has passed on. Writing it helped me to process everything that happened and to maintain some hope along with it. It’s a brutal topic and a heavy one, I realize that, but hopefully it will touch some hearts.
I am going to start sharing a little behind the scenes as I write and arrange the music. Here is my 8 step process I go through from beginning to end with an original song.
I tried something new in this video….talking. 🙂 I discuss some of the inspiration behind the song Home to Me and then 3 qualities of a good parent. What do you think? Do you agree with the qualities I chose?
I want to let you know about a new feature I am offering. Those who subscribe to MarileeKayMusic.com by entering their email address in the sidebar under “Sign up to receive free MP3 recordings” will receive an email in the middle of the month with the latest mp3 recording attached! Free downloads are only available for a short period of time, so this will make it super easy to download all of my music for free as it comes out.
As human beings we all experience negative emotion. We are supposed to! It’s a part of life. Many people think that we should always be happy and feel good all the time. But it is in the difficulty that we grow and it is in the trials that we learn and it is the contrast that helps us appreciate all the positive and happy emotions more deeply.
I have a new original song for you this month; it’s about my amazing daughter, Laya. It’s hard to put into words the emotions and story behind this song; the years of ups, downs, efforts, growth, set backs, challenges, struggles, determination and joy that have been piling up in the pocket sized moments of her 12 years of life. As her Mother, I haven’t quite blossomed to my full potential yet, but I feel this fire inside of me that gives me some inkling of what I am capable of. I have glimpsed, during sweet moments of inspiration, how precious she is; and they have been like rays of light continuing to lead me down the correct path. I have a lot of hopes for her and I believe in her. I know she is brilliant, unique and priceless. I just hope she can believe all of it for herself.
I love this song, (He Sent His Son from the Children’s Songbook) it is one of my favorites. It doesn’t need a second verse, but I thought there were some things that could be added. Some things that feel true to me. To me, the added second verse is a kind of second witness to the message of the first verse.