Virtual Songwriters Summit For Resilience 
January 29th - 31st, 2021

Our annual summit usually happens at Circle Pines Center, but this year we're going virtual. This summit is for everyone - whether you're a seasoned or a beginning songwriter. There will be 6 workshops taught by Audra Kubat, Dede Alder, Elisabeth Pixley-Fink, Nicholas James Thomasma, Joe Reilly and Seth Bernard with opening and closing circles. Workshops descriptions are attached below. We hope you can join us!

Tickets are $60 with lifetime access to workshops.  

Check out our Facebook event here.

SCHEDULE

FRIDAY

Workshop 1: 6-7:30pm. 

Joe Reilly: Songs of the Heart

Open Group Meeting and Song Share: 8pm-10pm

SATURDAY

Workshop 2: 10:30am-12pm. Nicholas James Thomasma: Artists in Resilience

Workshop 3: 1:30pm-3pm. Elisabeth Pixley-Fink: Turning Rants into Tunes

Workshop 4: 4-5:30pm: Dede Alder. Writing a Letter to Heal Old Wounds 

SUNDAY

Workshop 5: 10:30am-12pm. Audra Kubat: Songwriting and the Power of the Edit

Workshop 6: 1:30pm-3pm. Seth Bernard: Collaborative Songwriting for Collective Liberation

Closing Circle and Song Share: 4-6pm

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS

Audra Kubat: Songwriting & the Power of the Edit

This is an interactive session on editing your work. We will use sample work and work from participants to work through editing techniques and develop a strategy to become more confident making changes to existing work.' 

Dede Alder: Writing a letter to heal old wounds

It’s impossible to go through life with out regret, missed farewells, or heartache. I think of this residual pain or loss we carry and the people associated with them as ghosts. In this workshop, we will be exploring our personal ghosts. We will then craft a letter style song to connect with our old ghosts and find some connection, forgiveness, or peace. 

Elisabeth Pixley-Fink: Turning Rants into Tunes

As a songwriter, I find it easier to write songs about loss & love than to write songs about political issues. Yet I am able to express political convictions through rants or heart-to-hearts with my friends. In this workshop, we will have time to free-write about a topic we care about. Then we will divide into break-out rooms, share our work, and follow prompts together to attempt to fit our rant into song structures. As inspiration, we will be using a few political songs (including one I crafted from snippets of a heart-to-heart with my BFF).

Nicholas James Thomasma: Artists in Resilience

During my time as an Artist in Residence in Harbor Beach, MI, I learned a lot about my own creative process. Life can make it difficult to be creative and as it turns out, time and space are not the only things needed. Find out what you really need to be creative by examining your own creative process. In this workshop we will discuss how to make the most out of your available time to turn your life into an artist in resilience!

Joe Reilly: Songs of the Heart

Singer songwriter and mindfulness practitioner Joe Reilly invites each participant to connect with their own creative voice by engaging in practices that encourage heart opening, deep listening, and relaxation. Not only do these mindfulness practices help facilitate the songwriting process, they also strengthen our capacity for emotional and spiritual resilience. Participants will first work together with Joe to write a group song before being encouraged to work on individual songs. No songwriting or musical experience is required, and participants are encouraged to create a comfortable space where they can move and lie down, and have a journal and pen or pencil available. 

Seth Bernard: Collaborative Songwriting for Collective Liberation

I have been humbled and affirmed as I have witnessed individuals and groups become inspired and empowered through the experience of collaborative songwriting. The process I have developed works on many levels. The experience begins with establishing a safe space for collaboration and deep listening - a shame-free zone where ideas will be accepted, individuals can pass at any time and the group will be inquisitive. The creative process itself is an exercise in shared humanity and pure potential. 

The end result is always a brand new song, written by a brand new band, which is very exciting and satisfying for everyone involved. The group has become a band, and decides on a name for their band and their song and we record it together. I trust that those involved in the process of writing these songs will have a truly transformative experience that empowers them to continue to approach work for justice with compassion, creativity and curiosity.