Pearl M. – Finding My Voice Through Song

Essential Question: How can I tell my story through creating music?

Sub Questions:
How can I grow as a musician by better understanding music composition?

How can I develop my own voice by listening to and covering songs of artists that I admire?

Artist Statement

It is often said that we are a product of our environment, and this idea could not ring more true in my life. Both of my parents are incredibly musical. In addition to being raised in a musical household, I was also raised in a musical city. For as long as I have been alive, the streets of New York City were filled with performers, bands in subway stations, and live entertainment at restaurants. Given how great a role music played in the lives of the people who raised me and the City I was raised in, it is no wonder that music has become a part of who I am.

For me, Senior Project was an opportunity to explore my love of music more in-depth than ever before. I could always study music composition or take a voice class, but when would be the next opportunity for me to sit down and use my love of music to explore who I really was? That thought stuck with me throughout my project, as I sought to answer my essential question: How can I tell my story through music?

The final products I have decided to share with the larger LREI community are generally simple and short because the project was never about the final product. My goal was not to create a song, it was to explore how a song could help me tell my story. It was truly one of those moments where the journey – the hours I put into writing lyrics, exploring chord progressions, and recording various deliveries of the song – was much more important than the destination. I am incredibly happy with what I have learned; even though the songs are still at the draft stage, they reflect my thought process and my growing understanding of the connection between lyrics and chords and how I can use both to tell a story. Specifically, the lyrics felt like my biggest accomplishment more than the actual recordings of the songs, because I put most of my time and effort throughout the 6 weeks into making lyrics that felt genuine and true to me. Throughout the project, I was able to refine my creative process, which I know will help me in the future as I continue on this musical journey.

Ultimately, this project was an invaluable experience. It was full of introspection and discovery, while also giving me an opportunity to pursue a passion of mine. I hope that the recordings provide a glimpse into that 6-week process and illustrate the power music can hold as a way to explore one’s self.

Note: Many artists have the very first recording or draft of their song saved on voice memos or in their notes. I like to think of these recordings in the same way, a beginning in the long process of creating a song. It is that first step, just getting the idea out there, committing it to paper so it can start to become a real thing. As you scroll, you will see the first song I wrote and then continue on to the others that I built as I gained a better understanding of my creative process. Some of them are just a chorus or verse and a chorus but I wanted to include those here because they show how my process was in no way linear; some bits of a song would come to me as I was working on others, so I ended up with 5 song drafts, some more fully developed than others. As a side note, most of these recordings were simply a second or third take on voice memos recorded in the bathroom (the best acoustics.) This is all to say these represent various stages of the development of my songs, but hopefully reveal a lot about the way I wrote and came into myself as a songwriter.

I hope you enjoy 🙂

Serial Soul Killer

G / e7 / am7 (c) / d7

His angel eyes

Disguised

His mind, his intentions

All his lies

He killed souls for fun

Put em in a room for one

Should b a warrant for his arrest

He was a serial…

Serial soul killer

Trapped in my mind

Serial soul killer thought id die

Stuck the knife in deep

But there were only, scars to find

I couldn’t hide

Was so hypnotized

But to your surprise

I survived

The serial,

Serial soul killer

Trapped in my mind

Serial soul killer thought id die

Bridge:

g7

c/a7/g

c7/a7/d7

You gotta watch out

He will trick you

And won’t help fix you

Will lead you on

Until the person you were

Is gone.

Serial soul killer

Trapped in my mind

Serial Soul killer

I survived

Eternal Child

amaj7 / G

amaj7 / G / dmaj7

I lost my notes of her today

It hurt so much I thought id be my grave

To.

A flower planted in my heart for you,

And everytime is ached

I knew you grew

(c#m7/b#m7/amaj7)

Memories fade

But you Can’t lose feelings

Love remains true

But it feels so blue

Where are me and you

But what’s the point is dwelling

Dwelling on the past

Cause now she’s an Eternal child

Forever and ever

Always put a smile on my face

That I couldn’t erase

But now you can heal

From all the pain you concealed

Love remains true

But now i see you

Cause now she’s an Eternal child

Forever and ever

Blissfully Ignorant

4th fret capo

Verse: e / a

e/ a/ d

f#m/g#m / a / b

chorus : e / a

The boy lifted his hands up

Like he was flying

In the safety of the back bike seat he layed

But he didn’t know that he needed to be protected yet (e/am7/e/a)

(x2) I miss that me

So carefree

Blissfully ignorant

Unlikely Romance

Unlikely romance

4th fret capo: am7 / d7 / g

Out of the blue

Unlikely romance

Oh man, I love you

The City at Night

dmaj7 / b7 / gm

They say

You can never be alone in the city

But somehow I’m always lonely

Watching all the lights at night dim slowly

The city at night

Is so lonely

Click here to view my reflections throughout the process!