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Interview with Melinda Caroll
by Adrianne Martinez
Tell us about your life growing up and how it relates to Girl Scout Music.
Life as a musical. ...As the oldest of six children growing up, I remember songs constantly being sung in our home by
anybody who happened to be in the mood. Children, parents and grandparents, all sang freely and without embarrassment around each other.
It was considered normal in my family to break out in a gospel number, lullaby or a funny song while folding laundry, washing dishes or bathing the little ones
and putting them to bed.
Our home was part of a large family farm in Florida next to lakes, rivers, swamps and nearby ocean.
There was an abundance of animals, young and old, wild and tame, and all kinds of wooded areas, and wild places to explore.
My goal each day was to stay outdoors as long as I could. I often found myself making up songs, which I usually sang to my dogs,
cats and other willing creatures who became my first audiences. The Baptist (Mom) and Presbyterian (Dad) churches that I attended were my
first introduction to the amazing ways music can make you feel. Then one of our neighbors decided to start a Girl Scout Troop and invited me
to join as a Brownie. I loved our meetings and excursions into the woods. One of my first memories of our Troop was making a "frog in the hole"
(an egg fried on a piece of bread with a hole in it) on our first camp-out, then gathering on our newly made sit-up-ons around the campfire and singing together.
Why are you a musician?
I received my first guitar from my Aunt Mable and Uncle Don when I was 12 and you can ask anyone who knew me then,
I dragged it everywhere I went! I was really obnoxious about it. It went to the dinner table, to school everyday, and stayed beside me while I slept.
Playing it was the first thing I did when I woke up and the last thing before I went to bed. And though I was shy about playing and singing in front of anyone
other than my family, I had a voracious appetite to learn to play. My parents couldn't afford lessons so whoever happened to cross my path that played an
instrument was showered with a thousand questions, then I would go right home and practice what I had just learned. I had no formal training but music
has had a deep hold on me from very young, and it's one art you can learn by watching and listening to others.
I went through three years of college taking pre-veterinarian courses
thinking I would one day become a vet, which I was paying for by singing rock and roll and touring with a band on the weekends. One day in college, after an
amazing performance weekend, I woke up and realized I just wanted to sing and write songs, and that's what I've been fortunate enough to do ever since.
What inspires you?
Life inspires me. Sure, I love poetry, movies, read lots of books and listen to tons of different kinds of music. I also love spending time
in the ocean or mountains or anywhere in nature. But I sometimes get the best ideas when I'm driving home from the grocery Store or waiting in line at the bank.
I've also gotten entire songs from dreams. One song I wrote for Girl Scouts of the USA, "Growing Strong," poured out in its complete form one morning just as I was rising for the day
So, I guess I'm saying, inspiration for me is a mighty and unpredictable muse who arrives in all shapes and surprises.
What is your creative process?
I seem to be constantly humming something. Even if I'm not singing it out loud, there's always a melody or lyric going through my head.
Also, journaling has been an important and steady part of my life since I was 18. It seems to allow a clearing area of sorts as I write about whatever stands out that day.
I do thrive on inspiration, but I can be incredibly creative when there's a deadline looming. Meanwhile, I do try and write a little everyday and for the past year,
even a song a day, no matter how good it is, just to stay in the process and to help me improve my art.
What other creative things do you do besides Girl Scout Music?
Ecstatic dance, specifically, Gabrielle Roth's 5Rhythms has been the other deeply creative outlet in my life.
I began this practice with Gabrielle in 1982, and have found it to be a constant and reliable anchor. The teachings of this healing movement allow music to be the
medicine and the dance to dance you. In other words you let your mind go and your body follows and moves as it feels within the framework of the maps or the
5Rhythms, flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical and stillness. It is the best all-round therapy I know, plus it's great fun and keeps me up on the latest dance beats and
world rhythms! I find it to be a perfect complement to songwriting! Cooking, planning feasts and unique gatherings with my friends and family, plus gardening
are my other delights and creative passions!
Can you name a few highlights of your Girl Scout Music career?
There are so many high points in the last 20 years of my involvement with Girl Scouts Music.
The one commonality these high moments hold is my direct involvement and work with the girls!
Their energy, response and passion keeps me inspired and on track.
I have been truly blessed with some unforgettable memories and highest highs of life since my association with Girl Scout Music in 1989.
I have worked with some of the most amazing, kind and generous people in the world. There are Angels among us and I have had the joy to
met and sing with them!
What do you see for the future of Girl Scout Music?
My record company, Legend Productions Inc., just became a national licensed vendor of Girl Scouts of the USA,
which means all of our music is now available directly to consumers via online digital downloads.
This means our music is now available to a broader audience of current and future Girl Scouts, Girl Guides, and fans of both!
Our intention is to continue to keep our songs and music relevant, useful and FUN for girls and leaders, to inspire Girl Scouts and Guides
to sing together at every opportunity! Our job is to stay connected to them and the music and to keep up with all the latest technology
and avenues available to do that! We want the girls themselves to be more involved with our music and process. So ...in preparation for
the upcoming 100th anniversary of Girl Scouts of the USA in 2012, we'll be inviting aspiring young women songwriters to send us their songs, to be recorded by girls, for girls, for the purpose of creating a 100th Celebration Song Collection CD of their music!
Read Testimonials about Girl Scout Music
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The Girl Scouts name, mark, and all associated trademarks and logotypes,
including the Trefoil Design are owned by Girl Scouts of the USA.
Legend Productions is an official GSUSA licensed vendor.
©2011 All Rights Reserved Legend Productions
Email Us * Telephone: 1-800-633-0111 * Fax: 1-877-633-0111 |
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