WESTFIELD-“We Made It” is an original song for the class of 2020 penned by Westfield High School senior Madison Curbelo who seeks to spread “positivity and love” to her fellow classmates.
“Recently I noticed that a lot of my other senior friends were feeling really down and upset about everything that’s been going on with our senior year,” said Curbelo. “I wanted this song to remind everyone of all of the good times we had throughout high school, even if the last year was short-lived.”
While the coronavirus pandemic has been on everyone’s mind of late, Curbelo noted she wanted to create a song that would make students feel better.
Westfield High School senior Madison Curbelo has released an original song titled “We Made It” for the Class of 2020. (MADISON CURBELO PHOTO)
“Because everything has shut down and we can’t have the proper send off we’ve been dreaming of for our senior year, I wanted to make a song that made us feel better,” she said. “Music is therapy for me so I wrote down all of my feelings during these difficult times, hoping that some part of it would touch another senior going through the same thing.”
The song can be heard at https://youtu.be/AVQXnxX5mRw.
Curbelo said because “we are all in this together,” there are times when we need to lean on each other for support.
“This song is my way of telling all of my fellow seniors that they can lean on me,” she said.
Curbelo has been writing songs for years and said it took her one day to write and then record this song on her phone.
“These words just poured out of me and I wrote down all of my feelings as they came into my mind,” she said. “I guess I subconsciously had a lot to say about graduating and moving on and I’m really happy with the way my thoughts came out on paper and in song.”
One of her favorite parts of the song is when she sings, “Don’t forget all those car rides, proms, your best friends’ moms, the feeling of your bed.”
Westfield High School senior Madison Curbelo has released an original song titled “We Made It” for the Class of 2020. (AMANDA PAGAN/PANDA VISION PHOTOGRAPHY)
“These lyrics remind us to think back on and enjoy the little things in life,” said Curbelo. “Because life is so crazy right now and full of uncertainty, I wanted these lyrics to show that we all need to remember what we love about life and remain positive. When we lose everything else, we will always have memories of the great things, so we should always hold those near and dear during times like this.”
For Curbelo, music has always helped her through tough times.
“When I’m sad, I’ll turn on an old George Michael song and feel all of my emotions until I feel better,” she said, adding, “and when I’m happy, I’ll jam out to a Paul Simon tune.”
Curbelo said music has also helped her focus while working on online studies.
“Listening to music while I work makes looking at a computer screen for hours a day a little more bearable,” she said.
The song has also helped Curbelo reconnect with her classmates.
“It feels really good to talk to the friends that I miss from school and this song allowed me to do that while also showing them that I’m still thinking of them and wishing the best for them,” she added.
Looking back on her years in the Westfield public schools, Curbelo has endless memorable moments, singling out two teachers who changed the way she saw herself.
“When I was in fifth grade, my teacher Ms. Flinner, really taught me how to perfect my writing,” said Curbelo. “She believed in my writing so much that she had me enter writing contests, do poetry, and just work on my skills every chance I could. I strongly believe that her instilling writing in me at that young age made me the writer I am today, and I am forever thankful for her.”
Curbelo shared a similar sentiment while in high school.
“When I got to the high school, I was really impacted by my band director Mr. Kennedy,” said Curbelo. “He loved music so much and his love rubbed off on me and I really became invested in making music my career. He also gave me the chance to sing in various jazz groups throughout high school and that really built my confidence.”
Curbelo noted that fond memories from Westfield High are also mentioned in the song’s chorus.
“I talk about the long car rides to random places I’d take with my friends, the amazing proms and events we had, late nights staying at the school for after-school activities and coming out to see the stars over the front field, and just simply being able to say hi to my friends on the way to my favorite classes every day,” said Curbelo. “Those little things made high school amazing for me and I will never forget those times I spent with my best friends.”
As Curbelo now looks ahead, she is eager to start classes this fall at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
“As of right now, I am not sure if I will be going to be on campus at Berklee in the fall but I really hope I do,” she said. “I just want to keep learning about songwriting and perfecting my work.”
Part of Curbelo’s path will also include production since she is eager to also produce her own albums.
“My journey is music,” said Curbelo, adding, “I will definitely keep going in terms of my artistry and I will always be looking for ways to improve myself.”
