I was a teenager when I picked up the guitar, and suddenly, I had the one thing I’d been looking for to craft the songs I’d been waiting to write. -Sarah Blacker
This up-close and personal interview was recorded in my living room with a singer/songwriter who grew up down the street. We met when she was a teenager…and a friend of my daughter Colleen’s. Years later, Sarah Blacker continues doing what she loves best: bringing comfort and joy to audiences large and small as a dynamic live performer. Heralded by the Huffington Post for her “infectious, well-written songs,” Sarah was named the 2024 Female Performer of the Year by the New England Music Awards. But there’s so much more to Sarah’s story because she harnesses the healing power of music as a Board-Certified Music Therapist and LMHC or Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Explains Sarah: “Listening to music can open up neuro-pathways. Music is magic. It gets us high. Sometimes, when I’m sitting there with Alzheimer's patients, my mind is blown, and my heart is exposed because I know that music is what unlocked a patient’s memory.” A graduate of the Berklee College of Music, Sarah discovered music therapy during a tour of the school and realized that this academic path encompassed everything she had always loved about music. A survivor of life on the road as a musician, Sarah misses the audience but not the grueling schedule of an independent musician. “I lived on Dunkin Donuts for days, all for the love of music and those glorious moments when I got to be on stage, pouring my heart out, trying to connect with an audience.” The daughter of two music lovers, Sarah says that music was always playing at her house. “My dad had the greatest music collection of all time, everything from Paul Simon and Pink Floyd to Tubular Bells, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Seals & Crofts. My mom would make up her own silly songs. It was a creative household.” As a teen, Sarah’s musical role models were all- female, including Tori Amos, Joni Mitchell, Fiona Apple and Paula Cole. Learning to play the guitar is what completed Sarah Blacker as an artist. Says Sarah: “It was like opening the gates to everywhere I ever wanted to go.” For an inspiring 24-minute musical journey, just hit that download button. #music #musictherapy #songwriter #singer