Sarah Blake is an independent musician who has been performing in churches and at charity and community events since 1984. In 1986, she acknowledged publically her belief that her gifts for singing and writing lyrics and music were pieces of a ministry that God equipped her for and had called her to perform. On this site, she shares insights about music as well as clips of her songs, information about booking, and tips and resources for other musicians.
Music is a powerful tool in our lives. It can get us all wound up and excited, and it can relax us. It can express emotions which words could never express.
I cannot remember a time when music was not a part of my life. My mother was the pianist at our church when I was growing up, and she began teaching me very basic concepts when I was as young as two years old. I'm sure she did not think, "I'm going to teach my daughter to be a musician." It was probably something more along the lines of, "She's singing on key. She mimics the tones of my voice. That's really cute!" I like to say that I wrote my first song when I was five. It was to the tune of "Hush, Little Baby". It wasn't profound. Ok, it was just plain silly! But I was proud of it. I have a tape of myself singing it for my aunt. Who knows? Maybe someday I'll put it on the site just for fun.
My real writing didn't start until I was 13. I was struggling with severe depression and feelings of isolation. A man from church had taken an interest in me, noting that I played the piano by ear. He asked me one day if I had ever written a song. "Oh, I could never do that!" I exclaimed, amazed that he would think me capable of such a thing. Only famous people could write songs. Somehow, I seemed to neglect an important detail: Lewis was not famous!
Well, Lewis brought that theory to the ground. He started explaining I, IV, and V chords to me. This was all familiar stuff--my choir director at school had taught us about these chords. But I hadn't ever thought of making songs out of them.
I took this lesson home with me and continued to doodle on the piano every day after school (when no one was home to hear me). My first songs were just as immature as the one I wrote when I was five. Well, maybe not quite. My melodies were certainly more original, and my lyrics began to give voice to the deep emotions of a young girl searching for the love of someone she called Saviour.
I am not famous. I don't know or care if I ever will be. I still write songs. I do feel that I am to use my writing and my talents in playing the piano and singing to glorify God and to share Him with others who are hurting. I also feel very strongly about the importance of music education for children with visual impairments. I was late in discovering my musical potential; and part of that lateness was due to lack of adequate instruction in Braille music as a child. I am thankful that I had teachers in high school who supported my use of braille music as a member of the choir. I am also thankful for the good voice teachers I had during my high school and college years and for the self-study materials I have located since finishing college that have helped me keep my voice and other skills exercised. I have never stopped learning, and I never will!
I've learned a lot over the years about songwriting. Most of it isn't about the craft of writing or any of the other things commonly associated with songwriting. Most of what I have learned is spiritual in nature. My writing is a very sacred thing for me--it is how I communicate with God. If you'd like to know more about what I've learned, please visit my tips page. If you'd like to hear samples of some of my songs and follow my progress toward the release of my first CD, please visit my songs page.
If you share my interest in music education for the visually impaired or would just like to explore a really neat site about a special little girl who happens to be blind, please visit Rachel's page. This is a site which I've put together for Rachel's family, who are good friends of mine. Not only do I think Rachel is special, but her mom is an awesome songwriting buddy and critic.
A word about self-help programs: Lessons are very important for beginning musicians. I took piano lessons at different points in my life and was limited by lack of access to braille music; so I learned "the basics" and taught myself to play by ear independently. I took voice lessons for several years during high school and college and have continued to practice (sometimes more faithfully than others) after stopping professional instruction. Recorded lessons and exercises help me greatly with "keeping in shape" vocally.
Most teachers do tend to emphasize classical style. Personally, I don't believe it is necessary to learn classical style in order to learn proper singing technique; but I think that many teachers don't know how to separate style and technique. Brett Manning has done this nicely in his Singing Success course. If you're looking for exercises to tone your voice and improve your range, this course is worth the investment. Keep in mind that most of the outcome depends on your effort!
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