Category: Q&A

Nashua musician wins songwriting competition

Bill Fee of Nashua, also known by his artist name Fee the Evolutionist, won first prize in the R&B/Hip Hop category at this year’s New England Songwriting Competition with his song “Ain’t No Love.” Visit newenglandsongwritingcompetition.com/winners to listen to it and the other winning songs.

What is the New England Songwriting Competition, and what made you decide to enter it this year?

It’s been around for more than 15 years. They have different judges every year, and they’re always accomplished musicians. Some of them are involved with really big names [in music] and have worked out at Nashville studios and have Grammy awards and accomplishments. It’s a different array of musicians from all different genres, which is great. This year, I think they had over 500 submissions. I submitted my song “Ain’t No Love” for the Best R&B/Hip Hop Song category. I wasn’t even [planning] to actually enter because I thought it was a shot in the dark, but at the last minute I said, ‘Let me just enter and see.’ I remember when I got the email; it came through a few weeks later and I thought, ‘Oh, man, well, I wonder what this is,’ and I had ended up winning in that category. I was super happy about that. It comes with a cash prize, which I used to put toward studio time, and I had already had studio time booked, so it was great that I was able to put that [prize] back into my music.

What is your background in music?

I’ve been involved in music forever. My whole family is involved in music; my brothers and sisters and grandparents all play instruments, so I’ve always been writing songs for as long as I could speak. I was scatting to the jazz music that my parents would play. My grandfather was in a big band where he played trumpet, and my brother Mark played piano and my brother Mike played drums. I love all different types of music. I was really passionate about poetry and hip-hop just [because of] the way that you could express yourself. I started getting involved in that and put a few records out in my teens and met up with a guy who produced Jay-Z. I was just getting involved right when he was able to get going, and I was able to see that whole thing take off. It was great being a part of that. That let me know that, hey, you can make a living doing this. If you work hard, you can be successful. I think that was the turning point for me and when I really got serious about it. Since then, I’ve just been writing songs. I have some songs licensed out to HBO, Amazon Prime, the NBA. It’s been fun.

What is your winning song about, and why did you choose to submit that one?

Because of everything happening in the world today and the polarization that you’re seeing with people financially, politically, spiritually, I really wanted to say something. I wanted to put it out there how I was feeling. It’s a song about social justice and inflation affecting the most vulnerable people in the community. … I wasn’t sure at first if I should enter that song, because it is kind of edgy and a little political, but it was an outlet to what I was seeing, and I want to be vocal and find ways to support my community.

What would you like people to take away from your song?

Even though it’s an edgy song, it’s got that meaning of hope in there, as well. I just want people to be conscious of how they’re treating each other and have some empathy and some compassion.

What’s next for you?

I have a bunch of shows coming up, and I have some projects that I’m recording. … I’m working with a live band. I’m working with a label out of Nashua called Hellhound Publishing, and we’re going to be releasing some projects.

What advice do you have for other songwriters?

Someone once gave me good advice. I didn’t take it until I got older because it’s hard to do, but it’s just a little piece of advice that’s easy to digest: write every day. Write a verse, even if it’s a small, little verse. Write every day, and you’ll get better, and if you love it and you’re passionate about it, you’ll get better.

Featured photo: Fee the Evolutionist. Courtesy photo.

New program facilitates healthy connections

Through a new contracted partnership with the New Hampshire Department of Education, One Trusted Adult, a program that works to ensure that children have an accessible, trusted adult to provide support outside of the home, will be implemented at 125 New Hampshire schools serving students in grades 5 through 12 over the next two years. Brooklyn Raney, One Trusted Adult founder and author of the book One Trusted Adult: How to Build Strong Connections & Healthy Boundaries with Young People, discussed the program.

What led you to develop the One Trusted Adult program?

I’m a teacher, coach and school administrator. … There was one year when we had [multiple] prevention programs in one month — substance abuse prevention, suicide prevention, sexual assault prevention — and every program ended with [the presenter] saying … to our students, ‘If you have a worry or concern, reach out to a trusted adult.’ I sat there thinking, ‘What does that term mean, exactly?’ We throw it around a lot. Do the young people in this auditorium look to the adults in this room as those trusted adults? Are we thinking of ourselves as those trusted adults who can support these initiatives to keep kids safe? … I started looking for programs that could come talk to my staff about what it means to have healthy, boundaried relationships with students, and I couldn’t find anything, so I created one to use with my own staff, and other schools started inviting me to come talk to them. That’s when I really dug in and did two years’ worth of research to write a book.

How did the New Hampshire Department of Education end up partnering with One Trusted Adult, and how will the program be implemented throughout the state?

The research we were doing was showing that just under 50 percent of students in middle schools and high schools could name a trusted adult at school. That isn’t good enough. … The [New Hampshire] deputy commissioner [of education] Christine Brennan read the book and said, ‘There’s a great opportunity here to get this information to educators and youth-serving professionals across the state.’ … We ran a pilot program last year with five schools and received really amazing feedback on the positive outcomes. … It’s super simple and free for schools to get their hands on these resources. Schools simply have to … fill out a form on what they like from the offerings of One Trusted Adult and how they’ll implement it. We send off the materials, and the DOE takes care of funding it.

What are the main facets of the program?

The important conversations we need to have are about strengthening healthy connections while also setting boundaries to protect youth and adults, as well as what young people should be looking for in trusted adults, mentors and role models, as well as [how to] create more opportunities for connection. … We began developing our Accessible, Boundaried and Caring advisory program for middle school … and high school students … and we train the adults through an online course on how to use these materials to strengthen healthy connections. … We also have a program for parents … geared specifically toward showing up as a trusted adult for our own children.

What qualities should a trusted adult have?

In the research we’ve done … talking to adolescents about the trusted adults in their lives, we heard the same quotes over and over: ‘They were there for me when I needed them.’ “They encouraged me when I needed it.’ ‘They challenged me when I needed it.’ ‘They were fun and playful, but they also taught me something.’ … What emerged from the data was that trusted adults show up in three ways that I call the ‘ABCs:’ accessible, boundaried and caring. The overlap of those qualities is where trust is built.

How does having a trusted adult impact a child’s life?

The research shows that when a student can name a trusted adult at school, they’re less likely to abuse substances, less likely to be depressed or anxious, less likely to be suspended or drop out, and are more likely to be available for learning, to engage in after-school opportunities and to pursue their education.

Why is it important for children to have a trusted adult outside of the home?

The parent or guardian relationship at home is absolutely foundational and the most important relationship in a child’s life … but there’s an amazing psychologist, Lisa Damour, who says that [as kids get older,] parents go from being jelly beans to Brussels sprouts; they’re healthy, they’re good for you, but they’re not the thing you’re most excited about. … Young people who can name a trusted adult at home as well as at school are thriving in ways that [young people who can’t] aren’t. It’s even better when those trusted adults from home and school are partnering for the well-being of young people.

How are trusted adults chosen for each child?

It’s up to the young people to decide who those trusted adults are in their lives. We’re looking to build capacity in all adults — community members, neighbors, parents, teachers, coaches, you name it — to recognize how they can be accessible, remain boundaried, and show young people that they care and invest in their well-being and success

Featured photo: Brooklyn Raney. Courtesy photo.