I wrote my first song at 4 years old and would play it on the piano and sing it to entertain my family, relatives, and family friends. But the event that really caused me to start seriously writing songs was the loss of a close friend at 16. Songwriting and multitrack recording was my outlet to deal with grief. Words or tears didn’t feel adequate to express my feelings of loss, the unfairness of it all and missing my friend. Music was my outlet of expression.

Today, my teenage daughter found out that one of her friends died suddenly. This friend was a lovely, kind, and funny 16-year-old girl who brought happiness to others. Every time I saw her she always had a smile, a funny story, and the ability to make my entire family smile and laugh. As my daughter experiences the grief process, I reminded her of how music helped me work through grief at various points in my life, but starting with the loss of my friend Rob at 16.

I’ve turned to music during all sorts of times pre-injury, but it has been times of loss where music has been especially important to me and I felt most inspired to write and play.

What inspires you to turn to music most of all?