Helen Sanderson-White's Page

I had a conversation with one of my singing students recently about the balance between work and play. She’d pushed herself to take every opportunity that comes her way even if she doesn’t want to do it. The whole experience had left her drained with nothing left to give and no joy left in her work. She wanted to know what to do next… She was quite surprised when I replied “do nothing, sit on your arse for a while and enjoy it!”

We have an obsession in our culture that we must be…

I often get asked about the stories behind the songs I write. Some of the songs are about my personal experience or based on the experience of others. I’m a real “people watcher” and I like to observe people about their everyday lives and that’s why you’ll see me in cafes a lot! This particular blog is a story that concerns my own experiences.

Last year was a rough year for my husband and I; he was made redundant for the fourth time in five years and I had a miscarriage at the same…

A songwriting crime… I’ve been re-evaluating a lot of my songwriting and creativity techniques recently, trying to push the boat out a little bit more. It’s true; you only get the best out of your skills if you develop them and keep the process fresh. Here are ten crimes that I’ve learnt can hinder the songwriting journey:

Crime 1: It’s a crime to rhyme. That is, unnecessary rhyming. I thought I’d try using this technique more in my work but it has backfired spectacularly as…

One of my favourite parts of creating new music is taking it out on the road. You really know if a song works or not when you’ve played it a live audience. Their reaction (of lack of!) can tell you a lot about the song and whether it is a hit or not. Over the last few months I’ve been performing at some of my favourite venues plus new places along the way. I love meeting people at concerts; you can have some great conversations with people on the back of a performance.

It would seem…