Retired Scotch Plains Teacher Is Singing Her Heart Out

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ — Dreams are coming true for Gwyn English Nielsen, a retired English teacher from Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, as she recently released her first mini-album called "Heart Walk."

Music has always been a passion for Nielsen and with the extra time allotted to her with the pandemic, she finally had time to be creative.

Heart Walk has three songs and is now streaming on Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, Apple Music, iHeartRadio and all other music channels.

Nielsen's love of music started even before her love of teaching.

"I started singing professionally even before I started teaching professionally," said Nielsen.

While in college and working in New York City, Nielsen found an open mic night for amateurs and decided to try it out.

"I thought let me go in and sing my heart out and see what happens maybe there will be a prize, a monetary reward to pay my rent," said Nielsen.

After performing a manager ran up to her and began yelling at her saying she wasn't an amateur and was clearly a professional.

"Talk about a backhanded compliment and he ran me out of the place," said Nielsen.

She later found a manager in Long Island to sign her as part of a showband in 1981 but the band quickly fell apart and she ended up getting a job teaching theater and drama at 24 years old.

Despite teaching, Nielsen said she never left singing.

For more than 20 years, she has been a vocalist associated with Music for All Seasons, an agency founded by Plainfield's Rena Fruchter and Brian Dallow, the British actor/pianist/comedian Dudley Moore's closest friends.

She also was actively performing at area assisted living residences and nursing homes with her musical partner MaryLu Farrell, a former vocal music teacher at Terrill Middle School in Scotch Plains, whom she met while she was teaching language arts there.

Once COVID-19 hit, the gigs slowed down and Nielsen had more time to dedicate to writing her own music. She has written 17 songs of which three are released on the EP.

Nielsen performs the songs with her cousin Doug Gallo Jr. who plays lead guitar, bass, and organ on "Heart Walk" and "Still Green," and Ryan Hillsinger added the percussion. Nielsen’s daughter Saxony, a 2009 graduate of SPFHS, plays bass on "I Lie, You Lie," one of the EP's more alternative tracks.

Since Nielsen enjoys a variety of musical genres as a singer and listener, her music, classified as indie-alternative, reflects rock, pop, country and jazz influences.

"It's exhilarating I feel as though have very few limitations," said Nielsen of the release of her EP. "Music is not attached to agism. Music has no boundaries. … Music can bridge generation gaps and I hope this inspires my students."

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