Teach My Heart To See: The Story

Hi friends!  Today I am sharing a piece I wrote last year with a friend. Here is some background and at the bottom of the post is the link to the recording.  I hope you enjoy it! 🙂

The Story of “Teach My Heart to See” as told by Laura Harper

(Music and Lyrics by Shaillé Claypool and Laura Harper)

4/15/17

     “Teach My Heart to See” was one of the most enjoyable music writing experiences I’ve had yet.  Mainly this was because it was my first collaboration with a talented musician- Shaillé Claypool.  Shaillé is my friend’s daughter’s friend- and now my good friend and collaborator! My friend Marlene “happened” to mention a woman in Spokane Valley who is writing music similar to mine, and I knew immediately that I needed to talk to her.  The next day our phone conversation flowed easily as we discussed music and the experiences we have had that are related. It was unbelievable how similar our stories are (our husbands are both optometrists!), and we felt like Heavenly Father had brought us together- there was no other way to explain how directed this potential collaboration felt.  

     As I finished “Master of Colors”, Shaillé was working on a draft of lyrics for “Seeing with the Heart”, a title which would change names two other times in the process.  I couldn’t believe how fast she could crank out full lyrics- it blew me away! The lyrics sat waiting for me in my inbox as I finished my other project, and then I sat down to work on the music.  I found that without worrying about the lyrics, the music flowed much more freely than it ever had. The process was playful and joyful, and experimental, and I soon emailed her a “skeleton” of the music portion with the lyrics typed in.  I had been learning a lot about Alan Menkin, so some of my writing reflects what I learned from videos I watched about his writing process and methods. Once we had both initially generated part of the song, we became full co-creators- working on both the lyrics and the music, working mainly through email, though we had the opportunity to work together in person on one exciting Saturday!

     A week before Easter, I was given the opportunity to sing the following Sunday (on Easter) during Sunday School.  I immediately thought of “our song” and wondered if we could finish the details in one week and have it ready to share.  Shaillé and I decided we were willing to try. It was a busy week of working out the kinks, but the Saturday of Easter weekend, the sheet music was finalized and ready to share.  

     I love this piece of music- it’s living and vibrant.  The words and lyrics are authentic and brim full with testimony.  Our hope is that this Easter season, and any time that the music is heard, it will strengthen faith and perhaps provide a glimpse of what was once invisible!

Teach My Heart To See