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The Next Octave

As an award-winning singer/songwriter, I’ll show you how to turn your struggles into songs and rise above life’s challenges with the healing power of music.🎶🎸🎹🎤🎧✨

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Featured Post

🎶 What Happens in an Online Songwriting Session? (Let’s pull back the curtain…)

Weekly Newsletter 7.10.25 🎶 What Happens in an Online Songwriting Session? (Let’s pull back the curtain…) Hi Reader, Have you ever wondered what it’s really like to write a song during an online session? Whether you're brand new to songwriting or you're looking to sharpen your skills, I want to give you a sneak peek into what happens when we meet on Zoom to create music together. Here’s what you can expect from our time together: 🎧 1. We Start with YouWe’ll drop into the space with a brief...

Microphone on a stage, ready to perform.

Weekly Newsletter 7.3.25 Feeling Stuck? Let an Instrumental Track Inspire Your Next Song (The art of toplining!) Hi Reader, Have you ever heard a beat or instrumental track and immediately felt a melody bubble up in your chest? That’s the spark of toplining—the art of writing lyrics and melody over an existing musical track. Whether you're a seasoned songwriter or just stepping into your creativity, toplining is one of the most freeing and fun ways to craft a song. I personally love toplining...

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Weekly Newsletter 6.26.25 Tired of Struggling and Want to Feel Better? (You can and you will!) Hi Reader, If you’ve been carrying heavy emotions or feeling stuck in a cycle of stress, sadness, or overwhelm—you’re not alone. And more importantly:There’s a way through. Songwriting is more than just music—It’s a powerful outlet for healing, expression, and transformation. Whether you’ve never written a song before or you’re just returning to your creative voice, songwriting helps you: 🎵 Release...

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Weekly Newsletter 6.19.25 Your Free Session is Waiting 🎉(And I’m ready to be your guide!) Hi Reader, By now are you starting to feel like there’s a song inside you, but you’re not sure how to begin—or how to keep going? Whether you’ve never written a lyric or you’ve got pages of voice memos and half-finished ideas, this free 1:1 online session is for you. As your songwriting guide, I’ll help you: 🎧 Turn real-life emotions into lyrics that resonate📝 Discover your unique voice and message🎶...

Notebook, pens, pencil, and coffee: ready to write.

Weekly Newsletter 6.12.25 💜🎶 Heart on the Page: The Power of Songwriting as Emotional Expression Hi Reader, This week, let’s explore how creativity transforms emotion—turning feelings into lyrics and melodies that speak from the heart. Songwriting can become a powerful way to process what we feel, giving our emotions shape, sound, and meaning. What emotion have you been carrying lately that’s ready to become a song? Try putting it into words, a melody, or even just a single line today. 💡 Why...

An acoustic guitar rests on a pillow.

Weekly Newsletter 6.5.25 Write Your First Song (or Your Best One Yet!) – Free Online Mini-Session Inside Hi Reader, Have you ever felt something so deeply that you didn’t know how to express it? That’s exactly where songwriting comes in.It’s more than just music—it’s a way to give voice to what you’re feeling inside. When you write from your own life, your songs hold power.They hold the truth.They connect you to others in ways words alone often can’t. Whether you’ve written a hundred songs or...

man and woman playing guitars

Weekly Newsletter 5.29.25 You Were Born to Create—and to Heal (Start where you are. Make what you feel. Let healing follow.) Hi Reader, Every creative journey begins the same way: with a single step. For many new artists, the biggest challenge isn’t lack of skill or experience—it’s the hesitation to begin. This week, I want to remind you that just starting is the most important part. You don’t need expensive equipment, formal training, or even a clear plan (although if you’d like a plan to...

Purple headphones next to a treble clef symbol.

Weekly Newsletter 5.22.25 🎶Discover the Healing Power of Songwriting (Write your way to emotional clarity and inner peace!) Hi Reader, Have you ever wondered why writing a song feels so satisfying—even if no one else ever hears it? Whether you're a seasoned musician or someone just beginning to explore the world of songwriting, putting your thoughts and emotions into lyrics and melody is one of the most powerful forms of self-expression. Here’s why: 🎤 1. Emotional Clarity Songwriting helps us...

Someone is playing a brown acoustic guitar.

Weekly Newsletter 5.15.25 Unlock Your Inner Artist (Transform life's moments into powerful songs!) Hi Reader, Understanding that emotional intelligence is a skill we can develop reminds me of something my vocal coach once told me—that singing is also a learnable skill. For a long time, I saw myself more as a songwriter than a singer. But once I realized that developing my voice could make my songs even more powerful and emotionally resonant, I felt inspired to take that next step. Like many...

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Weekly Newsletter 5.8.25 Permission to Feel (And finally move on from difficult emotions...) Hi Reader, I recently read Permission to Feel by Mark Brackett, Ph.D., and I highly recommend it. In the book, he emphasizes the importance of allowing ourselves to fully experience our emotions. He introduces the RULER framework—Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, and Regulating emotions—which offers a powerful structure for emotional awareness and management. Reading it helped me...