SONG DOULA
Songs are my favorite things in the whole world. I've given - and taken - a lot of songwriting workshops over the years. In addition to my own study and writing over the last twenty plus years, I've studied with Berklee College of Music Songwriting Chair Pat Pattison, and taken extended workshops with Steve Earle, with Shawn Colvin, with Mary Gauthier, and with Eliza Gilkyson & John Gorka. I love nothing more than helping others bring their songs into the world. If I have one superpower, Song Doula is it. No matter your prior poetics background or musical knowledge, you can write songs that speak your truth.
LESSONS
I didn't become a guitarist, singer, and performer overnight. It took years of trial and error and learning. Whether you want to sing and play just for yourself, or for friends around a campfire, or on a stage for scores of fans, I can help you find and develop your own unique voice, develop your guitar skill, polish your strengths, create practices to aid your weaker spots, and learn to write songs that bring out your best. We can work on whatever you'd like, to include but not limited to: guitar playing, how to write for your voice, vocal lessons/development, how to use a microphone, how to run a PA, how to write a set list, what to say between songs (and what not to say!), how to work through stage fright, how to make a demo, how to make a professional-level album. Whatever you need to learn to get where your musical heart is wanting to take you - I can help.
ALBUM ACADEMY (10 WEEKS)
The Goods:
• Ten weeks long
• Write minimum 1 song per week
• Weekly writing/songwriting lesson
• 3 (optional) songwriting prompts each week
• Weekly peer feedback
• Ten songs = an album
• All online, completely asynchronous
Requirements:
• Commitment of 1-2 hrs p/week on lessons and peer review
• Commitment to complete at least 1 song per week
• A desire to write more and to have some structured accountability
• A desire to give and receive constructive feedback
• A desire to complete an album’s worth of songs
Investment:
• Ten weeks
• Sliding scale $10-25 p/week ($100-$250 total for the 10-week run, pay what feels right for you)
Required Text:
• Writing Better Lyrics, by Pat Pattison
Lessons Will Draw From:
• Object Writing
• Song Anatomy & Physiology: Song sub-structures and how they work
• Tentacle Meditation
• What’s the Movie?
• Show, Then Tell
• Bring the Body, the Heart Will Follow
• Song Autopsy: Meant to go to Memphis (writing a geographic song)
• Singing in Tongues
• Step-on Songs: How to steal well
• Séance Songs: Write with the ghost of your favorite songwriter
• Idiot Guides: Verse development and how idiot guides can help
• Second Verse Hell: Tools to get out
• Stop Making Sense: Breaking the narrative concept
• Getting Quieter Than Words: Songs as ghosts
• Editorial Observance: Analyzing your favorite songs
• Editorial Development: Analyzing your songs
• “Writing in the Key of”: (Mansion song autopsy)
• Rhyme Types: Letting go of perfect, and when perfect helps
• Ground Zero: Generative techniques (object writing, free writing, writing in the key of, tentacle meditation)
• Cliché and Adverb Purging
• Points of View: Keep your story straight
• Poetics: Meter and speed
• Power Positions
• Always Trust Your Song Dogs
• 1st Draft vs 2nd Draft (Stephen King's On Writing)
• The Preamble: How song intros tell you your song isn't done
• Size Matters: Song length
• Working on Your Syllable Chops: Daily haiku practice
Lessons, Song Doula sessions, and Album Academy are available for purchase in the Store.