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Manitou Springs
Manitou Springs
This morning, just before 7 a.m., I went out to the truck for a young client session on the East Coast. I didn’t want to awaken anyone in the house. It was a bit chilly, and the sun was just beginning to cause the Garden of the Gods to lighten up. Naturally, despite my best intentions, the kid didn’t show, and we rescheduled for a bit later.
I could have gotten grumpy and walked back inside the warm house with my tail between my legs. Instead, I did the right thing—the perfect thing to do in that moment.
I took a walk.
There was no need to visualize a beautiful natural setting. I became misty‑eyed just looking out at the mountains, explaining to the ether how much I love the mountains here in Colorado, and even apologizing that I’ll be leaving this week. Moving was perfect. Doing it slowly was perfect too—both to enjoy the moment and to be kind to my body as it continues to recover.
So when in doubt, get moving. The brisk air that moments earlier I wanted to run from became invigorating. The potential frustration of the missed session turned into an opportunity to be fully present.
I had a choice: walk along Fountain Creek or hike into the Garden of the Gods. Either way, I was one with the universe.
It’s always quiet at this time of day, and there are usually plenty of deer dotting the landscape. In the summer, it’s lush and green. In the fall, golden leaves slowly drift to the ground, and if I’m lucky, I’ll find a big pile to kick—just to let my inner eight‑year‑old have some fun. Winter, when it snows, feels like living inside a snow globe. The surrounding mountain views are breathtaking and inspiring.
Another favorite childlike pleasure is finding ice along the edges of the walkways and stepping on it just to hear the crunch. I often feel like everyone in the neighborhood leaves it there for me, because there’s always plenty. Then one day you blink, and everything starts turning green again—spring arriving quietly. Sometimes it teases you, and sometimes it brings friends back outside who haven’t seen each other since fall.
Living in Colorado, in this place, is special and timeless. Though for the past two years we’ve been on the road and spent the last two winters in Mexico, it’s time to go home.
The mountains are calling.
So how often do you get out into nature?
And where is your special place?
Eddy Lieberman
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Kids and Music
Wow… I have spent my entire adult life witnessing the power of music through the eyes of kids—from kindergarten through high school. It’s been a humbling, inspiring ride that never seems to end.
I served as a Music Director in schools where I ran orchestra and band programs, choirs, guitar programs, a life‑skills program for students with special needs, and taught general music as well. I now have former students returning the favor—touring with major recording acts or going into teaching themselves.
Sure, there were national awards crowding the walls of the music rooms, and there were performances that were better than others. Lots of performances. But the bottom line is this: there was humanity, joy, and transformation around me—and still is—all these years later.
A former student, now a lawyer in the San Diego area, recently reached out to me and said, “My husband says I can’t sing, and I tend to agree with him. Why did you allow me to be in your choir for three years in middle school?”
I told her that I never “auditioned,” and that my main goal in life is for everyone around me to be self‑expressed and living the life of their dreams. I went on to say that maybe being in choir gave her the confidence to go to law school. Teamwork, leadership, integrity, friendships, laughter, resilience, and hope—that’s what I was hoping to convey.
I asked her if that had been her experience of our time together in music, and she emotionally replied that it was “much, much more” than that—that I was a major figure in her growth as a young person, and that she loved me. I said essentially the same back to her.
I also told her that it always made a huge difference to me that she always looked happy, and that I was thrilled she placed herself in the second row, center—since she was never quite sure if she was a soprano or an alto. Again, it didn’t matter, as long as she was smiling and enjoying the ride.
She was stunned that I remembered all of this some twenty years later. (She was always someone who lit up the room, and I can only imagine her dazzling her husband, her kids, and juries today.) Over time, I’ve taught roughly 30,000 students, but music is such an incredible vehicle for life that it’s easy to remember magical moments—because there have been countless ones.
There are so many stories like this. And today, I still get to work with a youth group and help develop them musically, even though I no longer have a music room.
I’ve written several songs with this group, and we were able to bring them into a recording studio to flesh out the sound and let the songs breathe. One young woman in the group—who struggles so much that simply opening her mouth to speak can feel overwhelming—stepped up to the microphone to sing her part. Her mom turned to me and said, “How did you get her to do this?”
I smiled back and said, “It’s what I do.”
Where do you know, “It’s what I do”?
Eddy Lieberman
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How Do I Write a Song?
It’s actually pretty easy—until it’s not! Sometimes ideas are flowing out of me, and sometimes I don’t believe I’ll ever have another idea… like never… LOL.
So, words or music first? The answer is yes. For me, musical ideas come more easily, and I often look for a wordsmith. Sometimes I’m underwhelmed by the lyricist, and I end up writing something on my own that is almost always better than what was given to me.
One of the great ways to come up with musical ideas is to understand basic song structure. This doesn’t apply in every sense, particularly with forms of music that aren’t guitar‑based. I learned: Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Verse, Chorus—or a variation of that.
Now here’s something I say that may have you running for the hills. Want to write musical ideas? Learn how to play your instrument. Technique, theory, dynamics, reading—or at least a basic understanding of these tools—matters. I’ve had the privilege of playing many different styles of music because I keep learning.
Musical ideas often come to me suddenly, and before I know it, I’m recording them on Voice Recorder on my iPhone. I can do the same on a hike, in the car, or in a grocery store. In other words, when the Muse calls, I listen. Thinking I’ll remember the ideas “later on” has never happened—not once.
Lyrics are often shaped by the design of the song, or by having a basic idea of what the music is about. Sometimes I’ll hear a phrase or overhear a conversation, and a line of speech will pique my interest—thank you again, Voice Recorder.
In addition, I’ve been writing, arranging, directing, and producing music with a youth group, focusing on their point of view of the world. Believe me, being a young teen in a pandemic is a completely different experience than being an adult. For those who think kids spend all their time playing video games or staring at their phones, you just haven’t been around this age group enough.
Song titles for this group include: “Love Is Stronger Than Hate,” “While We Wait,” and “Nothing’s Better Than This,” among others. Once I find out the style they like and what they want to say, I’m off to the races. When a basic framework of a song is written, I try it out on others to see their reactions. I ask what they think the song is about and whether they like it. (I believe comedians do this a lot with new material.)
If I’m fortunate enough to fully flesh out the song, I can then go into a recording studio and let the piece come to life. This is truly one of the most satisfying and inspiring moments in life—when something that was just a simple idea a short while ago has now become a thing forever.
Want to write? Put aside time every day, or at least a few times a week. Brain‑dump your thoughts onto a page, then free‑write until one idea lights up the direction to go. Or sit down with your instrument until a musical phrase works for you, and then try to build around it.
No, it won’t always be successful, and there are absolutely no guarantees of writing a hit single. What is guaranteed is that your humanity will be on display through your self‑expression. Enjoy the experience.
Eddy Lieberman