Bar Scott has been writing, recording and performing her own songs for 18 years. An award-winning singer-songwriter, Bar has released five CDs of her original music on the independent record label which she owns called Lucy Max Productions. Bar also wrote a children’s book with music. Her voice and her songwriting have attracted considerable attention because of their soulful power and gentle grace. Bar has performed or recorded with accomplished artists, including Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings composer), Phoebe Snow, Tony Levin, Beth Nielsen-Chapman, Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen, and Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson. In 2004 Bar was invited to be the SUNY Ulster Artist in Residence teaching The Heart of Creative Song Writing during the fall term. That same year she was the resident artist for the Hudson Valley Youth Chorale, and in 2005, she will teach and perform as artist in residence in the Lake Pleasant Schools District in the Adirondacks. Bar focuses on enjoying creativity, and she works with students differently depending on what their interests are, teaching with guitar, piano, voice, and songwriting. Bar also coaches professional adults in performance skills and helps them resolve performance anxiety. Bar explains: Vocal improvising, drumming and music-making can get us out of our over-busy heads and hearts and make room for us to express emotions that are deep within us without having to find words. If nothing else, music-making allows us to forget ourselves for a few moments – a sort of musical vacation. My experience is that expressing any emotion ultimately leads me back to joy, and that joy is the stuff of life. Music is a great way to remember joy.