WORKSHOPS

“Ina May Wool’s workshop is NOT TO BE MISSED," says acclaimed singer, songwriter and teacher, Sloan Wainwright. "She’s one of the most exciting writers on the scene today and, as a teacher, she is intuitive and generous."

In the past year I’ve taught creative writing and songwriting workshops for high school age students at Riverdale Country School, for the Tribes Hill music collective in Westchester, for Feel the Music at the Lenox Senior Center in NYC, and at the 5 Star Residence in Teaneck, NJ.  If you have a group that might be interested in a workshop or if you know about similar programs or groups where writing like this might fit, please drop me a line at ina.may@verizon.net.  (See my blog on the home page about a recent workshop.)

 

NEW WORKSHOP BEGINS JANUARY 14!

• A few spots left and you're invited!

• When? Wednesdays, January 14 and 28, February 11 and 25 (the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays) from 7 to 8:30.

• Where? On the Upper West Side (please write to ina@inamaywool.com to sign up and get directions and more info)
• What?  Have fun and develop your writing voice and fluency with prompts and games to inspire short writing bursts during the session
• What else?  Read and listen to others read.  Open up your craft.
• What for? Helpful if you want to write lyrics, a memoir, poetry, stories, or nonfiction.

 

 

Lyric and Songwriting Workshop Series

Presented by

The Tribes Hill Music Community

 

Have you ever wanted to write songs or improve your songwriting ability?

 

Tribes Hill is proud to announce its second Songwriting Workshop series for the New York metro and lower Hudson Valley areas.  If you already have some basic song-playing skills this series is an opportunity to:

·        Build confidence to express yourself in a supportive environment

·        Develop songcraft and explore lyric voices

·        Access places inside where songs come from

 

Here’s what participants in our first workshop series last spring had to say:

 

"This was a wonderful series. Your hospitality, encouragement and enthusiasm was really appreciated."

 

"Loved it.  Each instructor brought something different and complimented each others' classes. Introduced to some great songwriters.  Sharing and feedback was great".

 

"The best parts?  Meeting and listening to the other participants. They were as encouraging as the teachers. What teachings stood out?  They were all different, which made a total whole".

 

"It was a positive, creative space with a good, open vibe.  Having it at Steve's house was beautiful and generous of him.  What stood out? Chord progressions, accessing creativity, the studio is a place of discovery".

 

"I truly enjoyed the sessions. I felt very comfortable sharing my songs and I appreciated all the feedback. I would definitely sign up for others in the future. I absolutely loved hearing the songwriters play their songs.  It gave me a better understanding of how they write their music.  I loved doing the free writing and attempting to write a song in a short period of time".

 

The Details:

 

10 sessions meeting Sundays from 3 to 5:30 in Hartsdale, NY, with a concluding performance for family and friends.

 

October 5-Oct 19:  Three weeks focused on lyric writing with veteran teacher and songwriter Ina May Wool (inamaywool.com).

 

October 19 through mid- December:  Sessions with our guest teaching artists including:

 

Matt Turk (turktunes.com)

KJ Denhert (kjdenhert.com)

Lara Herscovitch (laraherscovitch.com)

Elaine Romanelli (elaineromanelli.com)

and others to be announced.

 

Prices:

Full series: 10 sessions and a concluding performance: $325

Can't pay in full? Make 3 payments of $115 each.

Or you can break it up this way:

4 lyric-writing sessions: $140

6 guest-teacher sessions plus performance: $215.

 

Series location: Hartsdale, NY.

Times and Dates: Sundays, 3 to 5:30 PM, from September 21 to mid-December.

 

Preparatory Classes:

We will also offer preparatory classes, a music 101, for those who want to learn beginning song theory with keyboard and/or guitar. These classes will run prior to and during the early weeks of the Series. They will run according to need.  Cost is separate.  For more information on these classes email Steve at ideaseeds@gmail.com

 

FAQs:

 

Can I just take the lyric-writing section, and if so, do I need to know how to play an instrument?

Yes, you can just take either section, and if you’re taking the lyric-writing section only, then you don’t need to know how to play an instrument.

 

For the songwriting section with the guest artistswe do recommend that you can play some songs on an instrument.  We offer Preparatory Classes to get some basic chord progressions under your fingers.

 

Do I need to know how to sing on pitch?

No, but we can help you with that. That way you'll be able to express your musical ideas better.

 

What if I can only make part of the series or section?

We will have a limit on class size, so you will be responsible for the series or section fees.  We can discuss special situations and, depending on enrollment, make room for individual class attendance.

 

Class size?

8 maximum full-timers, in order to give each participant attention.

 

Age limits?

17 and up.

 

About Tribes Hill:

We are a collaborative non-profit community of musicians and music lovers centered in the lower Hudson Valley.  Since 2002 we have presented concert performances, monthly gatherings, song circles, benefits and fundraisers.  Please visit us at www.TribesHill.com.

 

To register and for questions, email Steve at ideaseeds@gmail.com and write "songwriting" in the header.

Past Workshops 

Sunday June 8

At the People's Music Network Summer Gathering, http://peoplesmusic.org/

Creating with Words: Art, Healing, and Empowerment

Inspiring music is grounded in compelling lyrics and stories. In this workshop we’ll share ideas for kickstarting your imagination and finding the emotional truth of the story you want to tell. Using a series of prompts, we’ll write in short bursts, share with each other in gentle, guided discussion, and write some more. If anyone wants to share a song in progress or another piece of writing, time will be set aside for that.

JUST ADDED:

Sunday, June 22, 2-5 pm

Kathryn's House Concerts Presents

Ina May Wool's Creative Writing Workshop

on the Lower East Side of Manhattan

Join us for writing games and prompts to kickstart your imagination and create fresh new work.  Ina May has led this workshop all over the country everywhere from grade schools to senior residences.   Poets, songwriters, story writers, memoirists are all welcome. If you've never written anything at all, you're welcome.  If you have work in progress, come for the gentle, constructive feedback. Here are some comments from workshops past:

“Thanks for creating a warm and laid back environment to get the ideas going!” Lauren Lapointe, Georgia

“I felt comfortable and I think everyone else did as well.  I came to increase and tap into my joy and I leave with that accomplished.” Penny Larson, Washington, DC

 “Time flew by.  Great workshop!” Anne Acker, Pennsylvania

 “The workshop instantly unlocked everyone’s creativity, surprising and delighting us all – I think we even surprised ourselves!  I left with more self-confidence in my own ability to express myself.” Barbara Dean, Massachusetts

Please write to me with any questions, to reserve a place for yourself, and to get the exact address. ina@inamaywool.com