We were lucky to catch up with Ellen Story recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ellen, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

As a full-time artist/musician, I enjoy being creative in several different fields: performance, composing/arranging/songwriting, recording, and education.

These skills were developed through a combination of years of formal training and having given my natural abilities plenty of time/space to flourish.

Though formal training is absolutely not necessary to have a successful career, I feel that I owe much to the excellent opportunities and experiences I gained through my musical education. My year-and-a-half at Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, MA thrust me into a full-immersion environment where I could completely focus on my craft. As with all hard and challenging things in life, you get as much out as you put in. I spent many long hours in practice rooms, devoting myself to my instrument. I discovered a great love for playing in string quartets, specifically in the role of “2nd violin” – I could have a whole TED talk about the importance of playing second fiddle, but I will save that for another day! I got to play in the one of the best youth orchestras in the world, experiencing powerful repertoire. I practiced solo Bach like it was my religion – Sonata No. 1 in G minor became my morning and evening prayer.
I like to think of my time at Walnut Hill this way: my infatuation with music grew into a great romance.

After high school, I attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. Exposure to a truly global environment gave me so many gifts, musical and otherwise. Music from all around the world, which I had always been drawn to, was now right in front of me. Though I learned so much during college, what really sticks out to me is this: during that time I was able to take all the varied threads in front of me and begin to weave the tapestry of my unique musical voice and skill set.

Before my years of formal education, I led a life that was pretty different from my peers, and it provided the raw material that would eventually fuel my career. I was blessed with supportive parents who saw my gifts from a very young age and encouraged them. I was allowed to play whatever instruments I could get my hands on, play in bands with my friends, stay up all hours of the night improvising on my piano. Much of my creativity would strike in the wee hours of the morning, when songs or pieces or poetry would emerge like the birds that wake up before first light. I actually began teaching private lessons early in high school, and discovered my great love of teaching. My first album was recorded when I was 11.

The most important thing I have learned so far through my life and career as an artist/creative: fully embrace myself with faith and fearlessness. Take a step back every now and then, and take an objective look at what’s really going on. Let myself marvel at the beauty of what comes through.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a multi-instrumentalist performer and vocalist, composer/arranger/songwriter, and educator. Originally from West Tennessee, I grew up playing Old Time/Appalachian, Gospel Bluegrass, and Celtic music, but was classically trained in the Suzuki method at the same time. From a very young age, I discovered my love of improvisation and composition, and those two things have woven themselves indelibly into my career.

What sets me apart from others is my unique musical voice and my finely tuned musical ear. Whether live or in the recording studio, I can hop in and add to the mix with my improvisational skills. My approach to improv is a combination of composition and counterpoint, dancing with the other aspects of the music that I’m contributing to. Whether on my fiddle or with my singing, I believe my strength lies in emoting and really communicating the meaning of a song or piece.

An especially-rewarding and ever-evolving aspect of my career has been songwriting and composition. In recent years, I feel that I have truly hit a stride with crafting songs, especially in the spiritual community. A friend and musical colleague recently bequeathed me with the phrase “Singer/Psalmwriter,” and I think it fits perfectly. I’m in the process of working on an album, which will hopefully be emerging some time next year! My focus is definitely shifting towards putting more of my original work out into the world.

Another more recent evolution has been that of my singing; I have found that singing is one of the greatest joys of my life, and I believe that people can see and feel that through my performances.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

High school was bittersweet for me – I ran up against some very negative experiences with teachers, especially in the conservatory setting. My struggle was that I didn’t exactly fit in anywhere, as the barefooted, wild-haired thing from West Tennessee who grew up on Old Time jams and the high lonesome sound of Gospel bluegrass – I could practice as much as I want, but I would “never be polished enough.” I had (and continue to have) a very real appreciation and love of classical repertoire, and was marinating myself in it, but there was an equally strong drive to not let go of my “fiddle” upbringing. In staying true to my passions, roots, and unique voice, I presented a conundrum and threat to the classical monoculture.

One teacher in particular, who didn’t bother to hide their disdain, told me at my last lesson before graduation, “You will never get into conservatory, so you might as well not even try.” I was totally crushed and humiliated.
In the moment, I mostly felt rage, and might have directed some choice words to the air as I stalked out of the lesson room and down that hallway for the last time.

What resulted was a period of feeling very burned out and jaded. Luckily, I had been accepted on scholarship at Berklee College of Music, and it was there that everything changed for the better. It took resilience to not lose faith in my vision and passion, and it ultimately led me to real community.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

To be an artist and to be creative is not a choice – it is a necessity. In part, I create for myself, because it is just “who I am.” However, with each year that passes, I realize the joy that comes with the sharing of my gifts. I feel the weight and importance of ministering to others, and remembering that, as an artist, I exist as a mirror. My art reflects others back to themselves, and can help them feel seen and understood.

I’m one of the few people in my family who did not go into the medical field – but I believe that music is an equally healing modality as allopathy. One of the most rewarding aspects of my career is getting to sing and play for spiritual communities, where most of my original work has been shared. More and more, I’m exploring what it means to step into my role as a “Singer/Psalmwriter.”

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ellenmelissamusic.com
• Instagram: honeybee.story; ellenmelissamusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellen.m.story; https://www.facebook.com/Honeybee.Story.Music

Image Credits
Alan Cho; Ashkan Image; Texas Redd Images