11/06/08

Making music inspires local teen

by Carmell Emory

Emma Cloutier is unlike many other students her age. Not only has she been home-schooled from an early age, up until she started the Running Start program at Everett Community College this year, but she is a singer/songwriter who is making a name for herself.

Emma started her musical journey at the age of nine when she got her first guitar. After three years, and a few months of guitar lessons, she started writing her own songs and increasing her musical range.

Now seventeen, Emma is an astute observer of the world at large.

“My inspiration comes from looking into the world around me and seeing things through my own perspective, and how I view particular situations that people deal with. People are looking for something more to believe in, and I’m trying to repair their hearts with my music,” she commented.

Emma loved being home-schooled because she was able to organize her time, which is a very useful tool now that she’s attending college. She also thought it was a great way to increase her social skills with different types of people.

“I was out and about more often, and I was able to experiment with people outside of the school setting,” said Emma.

In the Running Start program, Emma feels more independent as she works toward an Associates Degree in photography. She feels this degree will help supplement her income while working toward her ultimate goal of being a fulltime musician. That dream is becoming more reachable as she works harder to get her music career off the ground.

Emma is currently working on a demo CD at Whiskey Ridge Recording Studio with producer Mark Hibbert. She also regularly performs her music live at Jamberfest, which is sponsored by Marysville Youth Action Network (MYAN), a local teen-focused organization that supports and promotes youth involvement in the community.

Outside of music and school, Emma stays connected with her community through Turning Point Church in Marysville. In a recent community outreach project, she and other church members fixed up a Marysville street by cleaning and planting new trees. Turning Point Church now has a branch in Skagit Valley and Emma plans to be very active in the youth ministry, video, and photography programs there.

Emma hopes to encourage teens to love life the way she does, and to develop more interest in the world around them. The local teen is doing her best to inspire the world through her music and spirit.