Today we’d like to introduce you to Carly King.
Hi Carly, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I began learning music at the age of four. As the youngest of a big family, music was interwoven through our daily lives. My siblings played piano, violin, flute, and guitar, and my sisters and I would entertain ourselves by singing whatever we knew the words to while doing our kitchen chores. To wake us up in the morning, my mom would blast classical music from downstairs and there was really no going back to sleep after Beethoven’s Symphonies invaded your eardrums.
From a young age, I loved making up songs or playing whatever I could remember hearing on the piano. Then, at age 11, I wrote my first song. I can still remember the tune of it to this day. From then on, there was no stopping. Music became a lifeline, I began writing as a way of dealing with my emotions, as a way of expressing myself when words failed me, and as I entered high school, creating and writing music was how I got through some difficult times.
I went to college for violin performance and music therapy, but I never lost my love for songwriting. After college, burnt out from taking 18-19 hours a semester and holding down part-time jobs as well as grappling with breaking off an engagement, I started teaching private lessons while exploring my songwriting and decided to pursue it more fully. Under the name, The Little Strong, I ventured into making my first album. Pursuing this side of me was something I had always wanted to do but that had been stifled for a long time, and with the encouragement of so many friends and some family, I was given an opportunity to record. After two years, I realized that I wasn’t fully happy just being a singer-songwriter and decided to put my energy into teaching and finishing my music therapy internship, the last thing I needed to do before getting my full music therapy degree.
Today, I am a full-time private music teacher and music therapist with my own contracting business, with hopes and dreams to expand into my own private practice. For the last 3-4 years, my energies and concentration have been put into expanding my knowledge and career as a teacher and music therapist and I am now working on bringing songwriting and performing back into my life.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oh. Absolutely not. The pursuit of any dream is never smooth. You are stretched and pushed and challenged to the max, and you will always be facing risks. For me, I am generally cautious and have had to learn to take risks, either financially or emotionally, in order to progress. And often, it can be discouraging when you spend hours creating or making something or preparing for a show, and there is a response from only a handful of people. But what I have learned is that those handful of people that show up are the people that really care for you as a human, and not just the product you create, and in those moments, I have to let my ego go, because it’s never been about me.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Honestly, I think something I am most proud of is that I don’t take myself too seriously. Over the years, I’ve learned that every human desires connection, and I think music is just one of those ways we can achieve that. When I write music, I simply write what’s in my heart, on my mind, or something that has affected me strongly. Some songs I never share; it is just a way of finding myself in the moment. My love for songwriting is often closely interwoven with my work as a music therapist and seeing just how effective music can be in helping kids communicate and express themselves. Perhaps what sets me apart from others is that I don’t really blend into any particular genre, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to because I’m always growing and changing and learning.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I haven’t honestly payed too close attention to the music industry. What I have enjoyed seeing though is the many singer-songwriters who are able to put their music out there and get the credit they deserve because of how relatively easy it is to stream your music. On the flip side though, it definitely increases the competition. With the advancement of technology, it can be difficult to ascertain and predict exactly where the industry will go. At least for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thelittlestrong.squarespace.com
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtjD9TWQIdM
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/carly-king-3/late-bloomer-2?si=f833d8ec105a444583c3c1dc95b09540&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Image Credits
Devin Scott
