The Glasshouse

Skye found her passion in pop music. From struggling with piano grades, she’s now 13 and a confident musician at The Glasshouse’s Centre for Advanced Training (CAT). In our chat, Skye and her dad, Reuben, share Skye’s journey from busking on the Quayside to performing at The Glasshouse.

Skye’s mum, Sam, loves nothing better than to sing along to music at home. When Skye was little, Sam played ABBA in the car, and they’d sing together – it made them both happy. Reuben and Sam had the idea of buying a second-hand piano for Skye when she was six, and they now say it’s the family’s best investment.

“I started learning grades with a tutor,” Skye says. “At first, I found the structure challenging, as I love to improvise. But I soon realised that learning grades gave me a solid base to create music.”

When Skye started strumming a guitar at home, Reuben and Sam found her a tutor who gigged around town, and Skye discovered she could sing and play at the same time. Since then, she’s never looked back.

“One Sunday, her tutor took her busking at the Quayside market,” says Reuben. “We didn’t know if she could sing in public and were surprised to discover she was a complete natural.”

Learning music helped Skye develop her confidence and gave her a sense of visibility. She’s naturally shy, but something clicks with music, and she becomes fearless when performing.

“Playing to crowds at venues such as The Stack in Seaburn, The Old George pub in Newcastle, and speaking publicly at school allows Skye to put everything she’s working on into practice,” he says.

One-to-one sessions at The Glasshouse have moved Skye on as a performer. She used to be afraid of singing high notes, worrying about damaging her vocal cords, so she would choose songs in a lower key.

“The music leaders worked hard to help me grow as a performer,” says Skye. “They encouraged me to relax into it. It took over a year, but now, I confidently tackle the high notes.”

Songwriting has become a big thing for Skye. She loves creating lyrics, and The Glasshouse music leaders helped her form a band where she could sing. She even wrote a song for them to perform at a showcase.

“I was amazed when she wrote a particularly emotional verse quickly over lunch one day,” says Reuben. “When she writes poetry or lyrics, she brings a special kind of imagery to it. She’s developing in this area, and the CAT is helping her to find her voice.”

At times, Skye can be introverted and reflective, often channelling emotions she’s experiencing into her writing.

“Music is a space for me to express myself,” says Skye. “I want the lyrics in my music to hold meaning for others so they can relate to them.”

Music has also helped Skye to make friends. Her school hockey team suggest songs for her to sing on the bus – they’re fond of tunes from the mega-star Rhianna.

“The other day, two classmates asked me about her musical path – they’re interested in learning at The Glasshouse,” says Skye.

Even her teachers are invested in her music, often asking where she’ll be performing next.

“Recently, I performed at the school’s Open Day, showing prospective students and parents how music has positively impacted my life.”

Skye’s exploring how to take music forward as a career, concentrating on her passion of pop music. She’s looking for inspirational performers to shadow and learn from and looks up to local artist L Devine.

“One of her goals is to sit down with a wordsmith and co-write songs to tease out more emotion in her lyrics,” Reuben says. “She’s also working on connecting more deeply with audiences, but that will come with experience.”