Out of Silence, Song
Tanya Swegler's Creative Journey
Don McLean famously wrote apocalyptically about “the day the music died,” but in Tanya Swegler’s story, when the world shut down, the music was born.
It started in 2020 when she had a few lyrics in her head. The lyrics wouldn’t leave her be but she didn’t know how to write them down. Swegler had sung in choirs in her youth but didn’t play an instrument or have training in music theory or notation.
A friend, Kelly Bonello (soon to be featured on this Substack), sat on Swegler’s living floor for an afternoon and helped get her music down on the page. At Bonello’s urging, Swegler went out the next day and bought a guitar, a tuner, a guitar stand, and some music theory books.
The timing couldn’t have been better. The Covid-19 shutdowns started the very next day. “The whole thing about guitar and the shutdown was completely a God thing,” Swegler smiles. “I spent two and a half years teaching myself basic guitar. It couldn’t have been more perfect. It was a tremendous blessing. I fell in love with it and fell in love with music theory.”
The enforced confinement of the pandemic had its advantages. Swegler had plenty of time to practice and few distractions. But after a couple of years, she was eager to get more formal training. Swallow Hill Music, a nearly 50-year-old music school and performance venue in Denver, became a great resource.
Swegler studied guitar finger picking, voice, and music theory. She has performed in two ensembles, at Swallow Hill graduations, and a Swallow Hill open house.
Swegler has found that formal training has supported her creative efforts. “The better I became at guitar, the better I became as a songwriter. When I was doing chord drills, practicing fingers, I would hear songs. I would hear melody and just tunes coming out of the chord drills. The more I did that, the more material I had to develop the musical side of songwriting.”
Since that 2020 afternoon, Swegler has completed 36 songs in a variety of styles: country folks, jazz, children’s songs, show tunes, and Christian-Catholic songs. One jazz song, “Fur Coat,” is about a cat. Another song, “Bread of Life,” is a Catholic worship song.
“I want to look at all of life,” Swegler says in explaining the range of subjects and styles. “It’s the poetry that leads my writing,” she continues. “If the poetry is fun, that’s where I’ll take my thoughts and writing.”
Though songwriting is a later in life undertaking, it isn’t Swegler’s first foray into creativity. She spent years as a fiber artist, even competing in the spinning arena. She comes from a family of writers and grew up with a love of poetry. Her developing musicianship has become an outlet for her poetry and a broader canvas for creativity.
It’s one step at a time for Swegler as she continues her artistic exploration. She hopes for opportunities to write songs for local and regional bands and is currently producing an album to introduce her work to a wider musical community. She’s also drawn to performing in hospices or nursing facilities.
At an age when many people retire or settle into comfortable routines, Tanya Swegler has launched an entirely new creative adventure. “I really think music and songwriting has been a gift from God at a time in my life that I desperately needed guitar and to focus on learning something new,” she reflects. “I’m approaching this as God is leading me on this journey. I’m open to the Holy Spirit and what I can write. It’s a prayerful journey, ‘God, where do you want me to go with this music?’
Swegler takes a practical approach, doing what she can, but trusting that she will be led in further development of her creative gifts. “I’m walking this journey in prayer and thanksgiving,” she says. “‘God, You’ve given this to me. Where do you want it to go? I’m along for the ride.’”
Curtain Call Q & A
What are your thoughts about this post?
How can periods of silence or isolation serve as opportunities to hear God’s voice?
How can structured learning, e.g., guitar lessons, enhance creativity?
How does Swegler’s story speak to someone who feels it’s “too late” to start something new?