The Songwriter's Workshop: By Audition-Only - Peer-Driven Feedback on Your Songs. RETURNS NEW YEAR'S 2019!

WATCH FALL 2016 WORKSHOP LEADER DILLON O'BRIAN IN THIS EVENT ON MASTERY, OCTOBER 2016 

Why would you want to earn a place in The Songwriter's Workshop? Perhaps you...

• are looking for a positive and inspiring songwriter workshop setting in which you can present original work weekly and receive constructive feedback on that work from a skillful teacher, industry guests, and your talented peers.
• want to generate a volume of regular, quality work.
• want to play and listen to songs in a room full of songwriters with comparable experience levels and serious motivation.
• know what you like to do, but you want the exposure to peers and their different tastes, styles, influences, and genres. You want to learn from their different perspectives and refine your own. This might even allow you to find collaborators outside of your main style.
• want to meet and learn from a wide array of special guests--from hit writers to touring artists to tv & film music supervisors to publishers--all who will present from their perspective and offer appropriate feedback on your songs.
• want to work with a gifted motivator and communicator in the teacher's chair to facilitate this kind of experience.

The Songwriter's Workshop affords that rare opportunity of personal and intellectual enrichment, concrete feedback, and genuine community. This ongoing class is designed to inspire, facilitate, and enhance the creation, evaluation, and revision of quality songs. You will not only be pushed to write your best work, you will expand your peer network of potential collaborators and your professional network of contacts. And by learning to meaningfully critique your peers' work, you will fortify your skills as an editor and creator of your own work.

The bulk of class is dedicated to workshopping peer songs. But part of each class allows for a professional conversation about creative or industry challenges, successes, and strategies, often drawing upon the expertise of the guest instructor.  Assignments are made weekly for creating and revising.  Each week you can try your hand at the exercises or simply continue to work on the songs you'd like workshopped. Regardless, this portion of class will help generate new ideas and inspire you to take different approaches to your writing.

The SPRING 2016 round featured as special guests...

• hit writer Steve Diamond (Eric Clapton, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Kelly Clarkson, Reba, Backstreet Boys, Faith Hill...) + Grammy-Nominated Artist & Hit Writer Ryan Toby (Bieber, Usher, Mary J. Blige, etc.).
• Grammy-Nominated Artist & Hit Writer Ryan Toby
• indie touring artist and Tuff Gong writer Nikhil Korula
• recording artist/songwriter Bleu (Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Jonas Brothers, KT Tunstall, Neverbeast Movie)
• #1 writer Jack Kugell
• 4-Time Grammy Winner Jamie Jones (All 4 One)

Guest Instructors for 2011-2015 have included...

• Producer John Alagia (John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Dave Matthews)
• John Keller, #1 "Love Is"
• Maria Christensen ("Waiting for Tonight", JLo)
• Producer Tony Berg (Peter Gabriel, Sting, Bob Dylan, Bruce Hornsby)
• Allan Rich, Grammy-/Oscar-/Emmy-nominated lyricist
• Steve Lindsey, hit writer, producer, and independent publisher with more than 100 million records sold
• Ryan Toby, Grammy-nominated artist, numerous pop and RnB hits and cuts, Sister Act 2
• Jack Kugell, #1 writer, producer, The Heavyweights
• Grammy-Winning Artist/Songwriting Jamie Jones, All-4-One
• DQ, Founding Member The Writing Camp (Beyonce, Pussycat Dolls), vocal producer (Demi Lovato)
• Michael Sherwood, whose cuts include a song on the Thriller 25th Anniversary Release
• Phil Cody, 2-time ASCAP Song of the Year Award Winner
• Paul Zollo, songwriter and author of Songwriters on Songwriting
• Molly Ann Leiken, 15 Gold & Platinum Records, Emmy-nominated songwriter
• Alan Roy Scott, former Motown Staff Writer
• Bill LaFleur, lead transcriber for Hal Leonard Publishing
• Robin Randall, numerous album and television placement
• Tim Fagan, Grammy winner, "Lucky" Jason Mraz/Colbie Caillat
• Frankie Fuchs, two-time Grammy nominated songwriter/producer, Woody Guthrie preservationist, who passed away in 2014.
• Erik Griggs (Grammy-nominated, BMI Song of the Year Award Winner

Songwriters make an 8-wk commitment for $399 tuition and may opt to remain in the group for subsequent 8-wk stints for $299.