Singer song writer or public historian?

Voices from Time: Singing History into Being

They say if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life—and this semester proved that true for me!

In just a few months, I produced a music album, launched one of the coolest cognate projects (more on that later), visited Canada’s oldest oil spring, learned the ropes of archival work, worked at Museum London, and even took steps toward designating a 159-year-old house. A whirlwind, to say the least. But of all these adventures, my favourite project so far has been my album, Voices from Time.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved to sing. And, not to brag (well, maybe a little humble brag), I’m actually pretty good at it. So when my Digital Public History class began brainstorming our end-of-term projects, inspiration struck. We had only two requirements: use a digital medium and include historical content. Beyond that, the possibilities were endless. As I looked around at my classmates—colleagues turned friends—I realized the perfect project had been sitting right in front of me all along.

The plan was to experiment with AI to compose songs inspired by the historical events, figures, books, and wars that my classmates hold close to their hearts. Each of us has a particular historical passion that drew us into the field of history, and I wanted to transform those stories into melodies.

In the end, I managed to complete five unique songs (mine included!), though three tracks never quite came together. Something about recording in my makeshift “studio”—a walk-in closet—just wasn’t producing the quality I wanted. Still, the five finished pieces came out beautifully, and I was able to share them on SoundCloud for the world to hear (and for my professor to grade).

Throughout the process, I kept a journal to capture every challenge, triumph, and behind-the-scenes moment. Want to dive deeper into the making of Voices from Time? Check out my notes below. Ready to listen? Click the “Let’s Jam” button, or scroll down to find each individual track. And if you feel inspired, leave a comment—I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Note: These are currently being re-recorded in a professional studio!