Student of the Heart

This week, I turned on the radio to listen to CIUT in the background on Tuesday morning while I was doing something else.

I knew that David Peterson, the former Premier of Ontario, had been appointed Chancellor of the University. He was being interviewed and I wasn’t paying much attention, thinking that there was no way such a stuffy subject would provide fodder for this week’s song.

But as the interview continued, particular phrases started jumping out at me, as if someone had turned up the volume on the radio. Peterson was using the word “passion” a lot, talking about how people need to be passionate about something; that passion is the quality we want to nurture in students today, so they can become engaged, enthusiastic people and effective leaders.

I thought, well that’s something I agree with and can write about…. something that resonates in my own life…the idea of being educated in passion and truth. Yeah, that’s good! Then a song idea popped into my head and I picked up the guitar. The title line “Passion 101” lasted maybe five minutes before I deemed it completely silly, trite and flat. But there’s a difference between a title line and the core idea or intent of a song, so I turned the idea over in my head and came up with a much better title: “Student of the Heart”. (Tucker, age 12, asked me what I was working on. T: “Your song for CIUT?” Me: “Yeah.” T: “What’s it called?” Me: “Student of the Heart”. T: “Good title!”)

I believe that to be an artist is to be a student of the heart. As I write a song (this one and any one), I need to be open and listening for what my “heart” (my unconscious inner voice) tells me. Inevitably, at some point in the creative process, my hands find an “accidental” chord change or “mistake” that becomes integrated into the song. I need to stay awake and open to hearing the beauty in the unexpected changes that arise.

I also have to be patient with myself as my writing grows from what is often--in the early going at least--superficial and self-centred and/or muddled and unclear.

I need to listen to the call to write something deeper: to not settle for less than my best, to have the faith in myself that I can clarify what I believe, and that I can communicate it in such a way that it will be of benefit to others. In other words, I need to aim higher than “Passion 101”.

If I do these things—allow my subconscious to speak, and allow my conscious mind to gently and patiently refine the work—I generally end up with something I’m pretty happy with: a song that has pleasing shape and colour, that has energy and forward motion, that says something meaningful and true. I believe that each song is, in a way, a microcosm of a life…a life that is constantly in a state of re-creation and re-vision.

I'll be playing "Student of the Heart" live on CIUT 89.5 FM's Take5 (streaming on the Internet) on Friday Nov. 24th at approximately 9:45 a.m.

Song of the Week

Five weeks ago, I took up the challenge of writing a song a week for a brand new radio show, Take5 on CIUT 89.5 FM. The idea is that every Friday, I perform a new song in studio inspired by one of the stories they've presented during the week.

Should be fun, I thought. And it is. When it's not really, really hard.

So far, this self-imposed assignment has led to many unexpected challenges and joys. Already it's been a roller-coaster ride of managing deadlines, trusting my instincts, following my muse and performing live with very little rehearsal.

In short, it's provided enough food for thought to justify resuscitating this blog, which has been more-or-less dormant since I decided to take a break from busking. (A good decision and one I don't regret. Oddly enough, this project has a few things in common with busking which I may explore in a future post.)

So far, I have written songs inspired by the following topics: Scarborough, trash, a brewery that holds a mock election with beers named for politicians, songwriter Penny Lang and other women singers who have appeared on the program, and a new book called Vessie Flamingo: Outshining the Moon.

I'll write about some of these songs in upcoming posts...and about the creative process in general.

The host commented last week that after 52 weeks, I'll have enough songs for a Time-Life collection.

That's 47 songs to go.