How to make your music dream happen next year
Hi Lionheart,
Today I'd like to share with you an acoustic version of a song that I wrote and recorded when I created my own month-long artist retreat in Cuba in 2017.
In short, I created this trip because I dreamed of going away to an artist residency to have the space and time to work on new music. I applied to highly competitive international residencies and wasn't accepted to any of them.
It turns out, these residencies brought on mid-career level artists who were more established than I was, so I wasn't too disappointed about that. However, I didn't want someone else's decision to shape my life.
I decided to create my own retreat - in Cuba.
The dream: live with a Cuban family for a month, take daily Cuban jazz piano and percussion lessons, develop on my vision, and explore the adventure.
Even though I didn't have enough money at the time, a friend graciously loaned me some cash to make it happen. I knew I had to go after it, and everything unfolded in front of me.
I had no big goals but to simply get away and create. I ended up:
- writing and recording a Cuban jazz album with a six-piece band
- collaborating and performing with Cuban hip hop artists and participating in a documentary film
It was beyond anything I could've dreamed. The Cuban jazz album will be out in 2020.
I want to share this with you to encourage you to follow your intuition and your heart, know that your life is precious, and go for what you know is meant for you.
xo
MORNING
VERSE 1
Morning, where do you live
You ancient future?
Mobile, yet motionless
I reach for your rapture
CHORUS
Such a beautiful morning
And the sand will only know
Until the rocks melt with the sun
What blooming hearts and hands will grow
VERSE 2
Morning, how long you've lived
Across my eyelids
All that I hoped to give
I lost in my blindness
CHORUS
Such a beautiful morning
And the sand will only know
Until the rocks melt with the sun
What blooming hearts and hands will grow
SET YOUR LIFE TO MUSIC in 2020
What if in 3 months, you could:
- Sing and play any song that you hear (vocal technique, ear training, instrumental development on piano, guitar, and electronic instruments)
- Grow as a songwriter (songwriting tools and systems for writing melodies, rhythms, lyrics, and chord progressions; music production; feedback; accountability)
- Take your performing and recording to the next level (looping; auditioning skills; performance coaching; musical directing skills; consulting for gigging and entering competitions)
- Mindset, spirituality, personal growth (feed your soul and build your confidence)
2020 is just around the corner. If you'd like music mentorship and accountability with a custom plan for your success, I'd love to help you.
My clients win singing & songwriting competitions and auditions to conservatories, write and perform songs for their weddings, and use lessons to generate a snowball throughout their lives, reinventing themselves to who they want to be.
---> Learn more about 1 on 1 coaching here.
Much love. Wishing you inspiration and expansion, Lionheart.
XO ALARKE AKA MARY ALOUETTE
P.S. KICK OFF 2020 ON A HIGH NOTE. Interested in 1 on 1 music coaching? Please visit setyourlifetomusic.com.