Come to monthly Songsalive! workshops and develop
collaborations, meet industry guests, showcase and workshop your music for
feedback in a professional and supportive environment.
The first half is solely dedicated to an
in-the-round critique workshop where writers present one song each - either on tape, CD
or live - with feedback and critique given by a guest speaker or the Songsalive! moderator (who inturn allows some comments from attendees also). The second
half is dedicated to an Music Industry educational and informative discussion/talk , sometimes with a guest speaker , and plenty of time to talk and network.
Some
topics include song structure, song production, lyric writing, finding
inspiration, songs and the media, promoting your music online, how to
tour, how to get songs in film and television, performing at your best.
The
workshops are open
to all songwriters and music composers of all levels and music genres
and you don't have to be a Songsalive! member to attend (though preference is given to members and we encourage everyone to join Songsalive! to maximize your opportunities with us). It is essential to register your attendance in advance. Our workshops are a great
way for local songwriter members to meet each other, interact and
collaborate, as well as seek feedback and critique on their songs in a
very supportive setting.
Our workshops are designed for songwriters and composers (from entry
level to professional) who have written songs, or are in the
songwriting stage, who want to further their craft, gain feedback on
their music, and potentially get their songs out to the world. However,
we also have singers, musicians, and non music types who attend as it's
a great networking opportunity (singers looking for songwriters, or
musicians looking for songs, as examples). The goals of the workshop ar e about 1) the SONG and making it the best it can be 2) providing a community for our members to gather, network, collaborate and learn. Read about Songsalive! and our mission here.
guest speakers
Our workshops
often feature guest speakers representing all facets of the industry from A&R,
publishers, successful producers, CD production and distribution execs and, of
course, writers and composer who share their ideas, tips & techniques on all
aspects of the songwriting craft.Read about our guest speakers here
where and when
Chapters & Events calendar to find a Songsalive! Workshop near you!
how to register
Please register directly with the Chapter coordinators running the events. We prefer pre-registrations and usually, once you've emailed the coordinator, you are registered automatically without needing a reply. Pre-registrations help us ascertain how many will attend any given month.
Go to our Chapters & Events page and click on the chapter near you to make contact.
rules & what to bring
1 song either on tape, CD or live
(bring own guitar or keyboard) and up to 20 copies of your typed lyric sheet with
contact details clearly displayed.
Read the full rules here
cost
Typically a workshop is free for our members to attend and only between $5 and $10 or non-members (Join here ). Each chapter decides their charge based on the costs involved in running the workshop space and any other expenses they need to cover. The Speakers give their time free of charge to speak at our workshops, and our chapter coordinators are volunteers all year round. With all our non-profit programs, any door charge is just to cover additional expenses. Join here
Read the rules here
Can't attend a workshop? Need feedback on your songs?
Can't get to one of our
workshops? Why not upload your song for a
Songsalive! Song Critique