When it airs in November, Lifetime movie The March Sisters at Christmas will feature “Finally Feel Like Christmas,” a song co-written by a former Ohio University student.
Emily Dale studied music therapy at OU before transferring in 2010 to Berklee College of Music in Boston, Ma., where the movie was filmed. She received her undergraduate degree in professional music.
She wrote the song with friend Alexi von Guggenberg, whom she met while at Berklee. She said she and Guggenberg were not trying to sell the tune but rather to post it online for people to download.
“My song was posted on my personal music page, and I was in Boston,” she said. “I think (Lifetime was) searching for Christmas songs in the area, and they emailed me and wanted to use it.”
Guggenberg said he enjoyed the process of collaborating with Dale.
“I instantly knew there was something great about this song. I could already hear in my head the direction I wanted to take it,” he said. “From there, we both polished the song until we were satisfied.”
Though Dale will not be directly paid for the use of her song in the Lifetime feature, she won’t leave empty-handed.
“They’re not paying me upfront, but there are programs that every time your song plays, you get royalties. I’m a member of SESAC, and they’ll basically collect the money for me,” Dale said.
Mark Phillips, a professor in the School of Music, recalled having Dale as a student and emphasized her talent and positive energy.
“She had a wonderful, innate talent for music and an infectious, sunny and optimistic personality, both in her daily life and in her stage persona,” Phillips said.
Phillips was not taken aback to learn Dale’s song will be featured in a Lifetime move.
“I certainly am not surprised,” Phillips said. “She is very talented, bright, ambitious, hardworking and confident, bordering on fearless when it comes to putting herself and her music out there for people to connect with.”
When Dale is not busy with writing her own music, she said she enjoys teaching kids about songwriting.
“Right now, I’m teaching songwriting to kids, and I love it,” Dale said. “I think songwriting, as its own career, is a lot of work, and I don’t know if I’m cut out for that lifestyle, so I’ll probably teach songwriting.”
ne991410@ohiou.edu
