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"Join-Us" Songwriting Workshops
and
Songwriters' Circle

SCALA's Join Us Songwriting Sessions
Tristan Newsome

Next Workshop

  • Where?: Higher Ground, 9 Light Square, City - in the cafe area.
  • Date?: Tuesday, 15th May 2012
  • Time?: 7.30 pm sharp (ie 7.30 means 7.30 not 7.45 or 8.00!)
  • How Much?: A gold coin
  • Who?: Special Guest: Tristan Newsome - Tristan is an award winning songwriter who released 5 albums as The Self Preservation Society
  • Topic or song title? The joys of songwriting in a pre-apocalyptic environment. -

Songwriters' Circle

Each workshop generally lasts about one hour and is followed by a Songwriters' Circle. People who want to play a song (their latest, their greatest, or something they're not sure about) can do so in a cosy and supportive setting with other songwriters. There's usually a guitar available and Higher Ground now has a piano in the cafe area.

Please contact David Robinson at songwriters@bleakumbrella.com if you would like to present and discuss one of your songs at a future workshop.

Workshop Program 2012

David Robinson has put together our workshop series for 2012. Topics have not all been locked in but the speakers lined up (subject to change) are:
  • April 17: Rob Pippan
  • May 15: Tristan Newsome
  • June 19: Songwriters' Circle #1 - invited SCALA songwriters present songs that are still, very much, under construction...
  • July 17: Kelly Menhennett
  • No Workshop planned
  • September 18: Mick Kidd
  • October 16: Jude Aquilina and Bill "Swampy" Marsh
  • November 20: Songwriters' Circle #2 - invited SCALA songwriters present songs that are still, very much, under construction...

Program to date

Also, catch up with more details about what's happened since 2009 at:

SCALA's Songwriters Workshop Facebook Page
or
SCALA's Songwriters Workshop Myspace Page

SCALA Workshops and Seminars - some history

The idea for SCALA arose out of a Songwriters Seminar organised by Robert Childs in August 1987.

Between 1987 and 2004 SCALA ran occasional workshops on various topics including 2 one day Getting Heard seminars during the 1990s.

In 2004 Clayton Werner proposed that SCALA run monthly workshops at The Joiners Arms Hotel - hence the "Join Us" workshop series (we moved the workshops along with our venue to Higher Ground in 2010). From 2004 to 2008 the workshops largely consisted of a speaker followed by a session which attempted to combine a songwriters circle with critique of new works.

Since Tuesday, 21 April 2009 the two-hour sessions, now run by David Robinson, have had a slightly different format.

Workshop

The first hour features some in-depth discussion around two or three pre-selected songs, each of which are performed on the night by the songwriter (it's also possible to play pre-recorded material). The songwriter should be able to introduce their song in terms of its motivation, as well as its lyrical and chordal structure.

Songwriters' Circle

The second hour takes the form of a "Songwriters' Circle", where each person who is willing to presents a song for immediate comment before moving on to the next person in the group.

If you wish to perform and have a song discussed in the first hour or you want to know more please contact David Robinson (songwriters@bleakumbrella.com).

SCALA's Songwriters Workshop Myspace Page

Speakers and other workshop formats

SCALA might occasionally vary this workshop format to include topic-experts again or run seminars as the need arises.

Updated 20 March 2012

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