True to you - Sing Portland!

[Guest Post!] Coming Home to the Music

by Marion | Nov 1, 2019 | All about singing, Benefits of Singing, Community, Creative Expression, True to you

Music has always been a huge part of my life. I was born in Nashville, the home of country music. I grew up singing in choirs, musicals, and a capella groups, and even now, I can’t walk out the door without my headphones and a playlist. I have a constant soundtrack...

The ballad of Carol and John: when singing is about far more than the song.

by Marion | Jul 15, 2018 | Community, Creative Expression, Good Enough, True to you, Uncategorized

Let me tell you the story of Carol and John. I guarantee if you’d seen them at choir you’d have wanted to know more about them — they had a way of standing out. Carol was suffering from a degenerative disease, the results of which were partial blindness and dementia....

Are you listening to your inner critic or your inner child? (The answer’s more important than you think.)

by Marion | May 1, 2018 | All about singing, Creative Expression, Events, Good Enough, Inner Work, True to you

You know that feeling you get when you’re so excited your smile reaches your ears and you just want to jump up and down like an overjoyed 5-year old? That’s me right now. I’m planning our next house concert and I’m just so excited about it. I’m overflowing with ideas...

This One Little Word Can Free You From a LifeTime of Regret

by Marion | Mar 2, 2018 | All about singing, Creative Expression, Good Enough, Inner Work, True to you

“Well you’ve got some balls, don’t you?” I had just finished telling my friend how I’m planning to start a term of teaching Afro-Cuban music in April … just eight days after coming back from a trip to Cuba. I’ve never really sung Afro-Cuban music before. I’ve...

Every Song Needs More than One Note

by Marion | Mar 1, 2018 | All about singing, Benefits of Singing, Creative Expression, Good Enough, Inner Work, True to you

Have you ever listened to a chant that’s just one note over, and over, and over again? Just imagine it in your head right now: one note, drawn out, forever. Sounds pretty boring (not to mention kind of creepy), right? Every song needs more than one note — after all,...

What’s Your Inevitability? (Plus HUGE News)

by Marion | Feb 14, 2018 | Creative Expression, Good Enough, Inner Work, True to you, Uncategorized

If you had told me two years ago that the day would come when I would stand up and teach at the same event as Ysaye Barnwell, MaMuse, and Kate Munger, I probably would have laughed. The idea of being invited to teach the thing I love best in the world, alongside the...