Blog Posts

How You Can Create Music Long Distance!

9/10/2019

My daughter and I live 11 hours away from each other! She is a very talented composer and musician.

Ever since I first heard The Lullaby Album 10 years ago , a collaboration between mother & daughter musicians Carolyn Southworth and Jennifer Thomas, I have always dreamed of collaborating with my own daughter, Kelly.

Thanks to modern technology, that dream is finally coming true!!!

Valley View Records, a record label in Australia that supports independent artists, invited me to submit a track for their new compilation album. I agreed of course, having no idea what I would write! Ha!

Then one day I received the following text from my daughter!

The album project was going to be called "Dream Chasers", so when I saw Kelly's text and listened to the song, I knew it was the perfect song to submit for the album!

We made a few tweaks to the song long distance via voice memos on our phones.

I recorded the song and sent it to my musician friend, Judson Hurd , who added the beautiful dreamy effects. Then I sent it to VVR in Australia! All of this was done digitally and via the internet. Amazing right?

NOW...HERE IT IS!! and I couldn't be happier! I am so proud and grateful to be part of this project. Valley View Records has worked so hard on it! They even created a music video to go with each song! Here is ours! Kelly and I are so happy to be sharing this with you!

You can find the entire album on all streaming platforms !

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FUNNY FIREWORKS STORY

7/7/2019

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You know those experiences in life that are stressful at the time but become something you laugh about later? This story is one of those…

I’m a fireworks girl! I love fireworks so much that I have been known to drive all by myself to find a place to pull off the road just to get a glimpse.

My husband has always thought it was cute, but he would much rather watch them on TV. Being the good sport that he is, he has allowed me to drag him out to see a countless number of fireworks shows.

So why is it so important that I fight the heat, the crowds, the traffic and the bugs, just to see something I’ve seen for decades? And why in the world did I feel a little guilty this year because I stayed home to watch them on TV? I had to do some soul searching to understand what REALLY is behind my love for fireworks.

Of course, I love to ooooh and aaaaah along with the crowd and try to spot the new ones. I love the anticipation of the big beautiful ones! Who doesn’t? But I think I have finally put my finger on what I really love about fireworks. It’s the people and the memories of shared experiences that I treasure.

When I was growing up, I loved spending the Fourth of July with my grandparents in White Plains, NY. My grandfather, the budget director for Westchester County from 1930-1950, helped with the county’s economic recovery after WWII. He was eventually able to budget for an Independence Day fireworks show to be held at the high school stadium, where it is still being held today! While I do remember going down to the stadium for the show, the memories I cherish the most were when we would grab a blanket and walk down the street to a spot where we could get a clear view from a distance. It was always a fun time with my grandfather. I remember feeling like they were “my Pop’s” fireworks and feeling proud of him for starting that tradition. It wasn't the fireworks that were so great, it was having that special time with him that still warms my heart to this day.

My grandfather "Pop" with my mother on her wedding day. He was small in stature but large in character and integrity!

Fast forward several decades to NY again when my daughter, Kelly, was living in the city! It had always been a dream of mine to be right on the water like those people you see on TV at the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular. (If you have that dream when you watch the show, let me share some information that might just help you enjoy your spot from the couch!)

One year while visiting Kelly, we actually did it! We got down to the river early enough in the afternoon to claim our spot right next to the water. We had a picnic, played games, made friends, and watched the sun set. With great anticipation we waited for it to get dark enough for the fireworks to begin!

As we were waiting, I realized I needed to find a bathroom. What we didn’t know was that once the area next to the water was filled with people, it was roped off and no one was allowed to get in or out! Yeah…no way to go to the bathroom!

So I did a little mind over matter and convinced myself that I could hold it until after the fireworks. During the fireworks, I forgot all about the need for a bathroom and was feeling like this was one of the best decisions I had ever made! Most amazing fireworks show ever!

"Ok...Show is over! Now…I must find a bathroom on the way to the subway! Oh…Starbucks is closed, really? Oh that restaurant is closed too, really? ... and that one…and that one? I thought NY was the city that never sleeps!!! Oh wait…it IS a holiday after all. Are you kidding me? There is absolutely nothing open??? Was this was the worst decision I have ever made? Why did I think this would be fun???”

By now I am starting to panic because, not only is there no place open, but we are in the middle of a hot, sweaty crowd of wall to wall people, all trying to get on the subway at the same time!!!! We finally get into a subway car and are standing like stinky sardines (much tighter than this picture). The lady next to me and I were talking about how unbearably HOT it was... when all of a sudden, a woman nearby just took off her shirt - right down to her bra!!! Then that lady next to me said “Well, she done stripped down!!!” Now I was really in trouble because I was laughing so hard while trying to hold it at the same time!!!

We finally made it to our stop and I painfully found an open diner on our walk home! Whew! Sweet relief!

I still laugh every time I hear that lady in my head and will forever remember that as a moment when laughter turned a very stressful situation into something bearable, well... almost!

Even though I said at the time, “I’ll never do that again!”, we actually did go back another year to watch the NYC Fireworks - on a river cruise! We had a front row spot on the water and watched the fireworks from the upper deck of the boat! Bathrooms were included! Now THAT was one of the best decisions I have ever made!!!!

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THE STORY BEHIND "BREATHE"

4/4/2019

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Do you ever forget to breathe? I do! Well…sort of…I mean, thankfully, day in and day out, my brain miraculously tells my respiratory system to work so I don’t have to think about breathing. But sometimes during stressful situations, I find myself holding my breath without even realizing it!

Not too long ago when that I happened, I could hear God’s still, small voice whisper, “Just breathe Marlowe, just breathe!” Once I remembered to breathe, then I could begin to “cast my cares on Him, knowing that He cares for me” I Peter 5:7.

I went to the piano and began to play very slowly and quietly... to pray and receive His peace. This song, “Breathe”, came out of that experience.

Many thanks to Sonder House for adding my track, "Breathe", on the album Recollections Vol 2 now streaming wherever you listen to digital music!

This very quiet and meditative playing is what I do a lot when I am alone. I never knew until recently there was an audience for this type of music. The extensive use of the soft pedal is popular in a style of piano music called minimalism. I feel so fortunate that this track found its place on a compilation album of more than 30 artists.

If you use Spotify, you might like to try out this playlist I made! If you like it, please follow and listen!

Music for catching your breath!

Click on the picture & take a deep breath! Enjoy!

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The Story Behind "A New Morning" A simple melody of Hope

2/19/2019

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I never know what song will speak to my listeners at any given time. Sometimes a song that I consider to be very simple can turn out to be an audience favorite. Such has been the case with “A New Morning”. Whenever I play it in concert, someone usually comments about it. Even a person battling cancer was recently moved to tears in my living room as I played it for them. That’s when I knew I needed to release it! This recording is straight from my own living room!

The title came from the grandmother of one of my former students named Anna.

Anna's grandmother, endearingly called “Ma’am”, had lost her husband not long before she started bringing Anna to her weekly piano lessons. Being very musical herself and a great encourager of creativity, Ma’am would always enjoy hearing what I was composing at the time. One day, I played this tune for her and with a tear in her eye she said, “Oh I love it! It gives me a feeling of hope, like a new morning!”

That’s when I knew I had my title! This song is forever dedicated to "Ma'am".

This glorious cover photo was taken by a friend of mine who lives in South West Virginia. She has always been an early riser and has seen hundreds of beautiful sunrises. (I count on her to tell me about them!) She captured this sunrise and it has not been touched up at all! She posted it with a link to these most appropriate lyrics by Chris Tomlin “I see You in the sunrise every morning…It’s like a picture that You’ve painted for me…Love letters in the sky”

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Why My Husband Took Me on A Date To The Cemetery For My Birthday...

2/6/2019

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As strange as it might sound, this was a fun date we will always remember! Now, before you start thinking my husband is weird, let me say he would be the last person on the planet to EVER suggest visiting the cemetery to celebrate my birthday! THIS WAS MY IDEA! So maybe I’m the creepy one! Let me explain...

My daughter gave us a really cool book for our 40th anniversary called
52 Uncommon Dates. We are trying to do one a month and the “The Cemetery Date” was next on the list.

Two wonderful things were going to be different this year on my birthday… it was going to be on a Saturday and it was going to be a gorgeous spring-like day! So I said, “Why don’t we have our cemetery date on my birthday!??” Of course wanting to be agreeable, he went along and we actually had a wonderful time that included a lot of laughs!

The book gave us instructions of different things to do on our cemetery visit. Neither of us has ever been keen on revisiting grave-sites, so we started by visiting Robby’s parents’ and sharing some memories of them. It was nice to be able to “take in” the beauty and peacefulness of the cemetery. We discovered a statue of four Biblical prophets nearby and found that the prophet Isaiah overlooks their sites. So many things we didn’t notice on the days of their funerals!

Next, per instructions, we explored the cemetery, reading the markers and talking about the things that stood out to us. It was very humbling to see so many WWII veterans, some of whose spouses are still living. Of course it was sad to see the markers of children who had died way too young. We watched an Asian family putting incense on their family members’ graves.

Then, much to our surprise, we discovered the grave marker of a good friend who died suddenly a few years ago in a biking accident. He made a difference in so many lives and is missed by all who knew him. We paused here for a while...

Another suggestion from the date book was to talk about what we might want our own epitaphs to say. This is where we had a lot of laughs. I’ve certainly never laughed out loud in a cemetery before because the only time I have ever visited one is for a burial. It is a different experience to visit when you are not so emotionally raw. I must say, it helped take away the mystery and yucky feeling I’ve always had about cemeteries. I almost didn’t want to leave because I was enjoying walking and being outside on such a beautiful day and soaking in the fresh air. But then, Robby broke my lingering mood when he gave his answer to the last date question, “Was the date eerie or comforting?” He said all he could think about the whole time was the hundreds of dead skeletons just lying in their caskets! Ok well... let’s just say he was a really good sport!

In all seriousness, I just turned 61 and it’s very strange to be at the age where more and more close friends and relatives are beginning to have major health issues, so it does make me think about how I want to finish the race. Every day is a gift from God and I want to live fully engaged while at the same time keeping an eternal perspective, for I know this earth is not my final home.

I will leave you with Molly Skagg's beautiful new version of Johnny Cash's song "Ain't No Grave"