I’m on the point of co-host a songwriting workshop with my buddy Eliot Kennedy in Sheffield England this month and it bought me occupied with the worth of workshops and retreats. For this weblog I actually am revisiting a songwriting workshop. One I do know and love, the TSA Workshop held just a few instances a 12 months outdoors of Malaga , Spain. I used to be there this month, a part of my excuse for reposting this weblog from 2016 or no less than updating!
This pic is from the current one in September 2019. Martin Sutton does an incredible job and this 12 months I used to be amongst some incredible mentors together with Ed Hill who got here together with me from Nashville, Chris Neil and the superior drive of nature that’s writer John Saunderson. It might have topped the primary time I went (and the inspiration for this weblog) however all I can say is…it is advisable to go!! Doesn’t must be this one however discover one that appears like a superb match and put your self on the market!
September 27, 2016
No rain in Spain …effectively as soon as
September is a month I’ll bear in mind for a very long time to return. Most of my teaching is completed from my residence workplace in Nashville through Skype and my songwriting shoppers are all around the world at this level. That is one thing I’ve cherished doing for over 5 years now however…I do miss seeing writers in individual, writing extra myself and touring. This month I bought my repair.
I used to be invited by Martin Sutton who runs The Songwriting Academy within the UK to return to Malaga, Spain and be one in all four mentors at their annual songwriting retreat from Sept 10-17. I additionally bought the possibility by way of Martin and TSA to have a full day workshop in London on the 19th. This took me proper as much as my workshop in DC with Kye Fleming organized by our pal Tom Nichols and the Songwriting Affiliation Of Washington. It felt like a mini tour!
In Malaga that they had over 30 writers, principally UK primarily based however just a few from Russia and even Norway. Had an opportunity to write down with a special group every day and mentor two different teams per day. Martin, Dominic Roy King and Charlie Dore had been the opposite mentors and a few gifted folks. After dinner each group performs the track they wrote adopted by pure enjoyable and wine…a lot of nice meals and wine:-)!
DC, London and Spain…the persons are all the identical…superior!
These are songwriters investing of their ardour, turning info into inspiration each day. This, together with the in the future workshop in London and the one I held in DC a weeks later, simply jogged my memory how wonderful it’s to write down songs and to co-write with individuals for the pure buzz of it. It crammed up my effectively and I bought to expertise the “non-music enterprise “ a part of the music enterprise. Folks had been gracious and giving in addition to sponges for something new. I’ve been to pro-writing camps and though they are often nice for networking and a shot at getting a reduce, they will lack the pure pleasure of those occasions. I bought to share my life tales and listen to some wonderful ones but it surely comes again to the factor all of us have in widespread, a love for songwriting and expression.
Obtained as a lot as I gave for positive and in that sense it was all one massive co-writing expertise. Though most attendees had been near my youngsters’ age (and some who may need finished the mathematics and located I may very well be their Granddad) when writers get collectively in that sort of spirit nothing else issues however the music and I heard some nice music on a regular basis from the writers on the retreat to those within the West Finish of London to the gorgeous metropolis of Washington DC. I cherished TSA and its individuals sufficient to develop into a mentor on their web site to teach their members once in a while.