Songposium - NSAI

SONGPOSIUM

The ONLY comprehensive, week-long, educational event exclusively for songwriters,

SongPosium Week is composed of:

Classes - SongPosium 2012 features more than 140 a la carte classes on various

topics taught by some of the best instructors in the industry. We make Music Row

YOUR Songwriting Campus.

Shows - SongPosium doesn’t conclude with the setting sun each day. Each

evening, the SONGPOSIUM Performance Series features Pro songwriters

showcasing their hit, and soon-to-be-hit, songs at the world-renowned Bluebird Café,

where a veritable Who's Who of the songwriting community will perform two shows

nightly.

NSAI World's Largest #1 Party - Their annual outdoor party is a true Music Row

event, bringing members of our community together to salute songwriters and have a

great time in the process! Everything will take place under the big tent in the NSAI

parking lot

The Songwriters Connection mentors who will also be teaching at Songposium...

Susan Tucker:

Take it From the Top -Take a look at what it takes to reach the top of the songwriting world, from the

perspective of those who have already done it.

Susan Tucker takes a look at the distinct differences between “Good” songwriters and “Great”

songwriters, all gleaned from the insights and experiences of the Hit Songwriters she interviewed for

her books, The Soul of a Writer and The Secrets of Songwriting. She will help you see how easy it is

to incorporate these habits into your own writing style.

Reality Check - Are you on the right path for success? Are you making wise decisions when you

come to a crossroad?

In today’s market your choices as a songwriter and as an artist, have never been more varied and the

options more plentiful.

Susan Tucker will help you make sense of where you are right now, today and help you visualize the

steps for tomorrow.

It’s All About You! - Do the right people pay attention to you? This course is about writing a great

Press Release & Bio and designing an effective One Sheet. The backbone of launching and

maintaining a career are those 3 elements and you should not shortchange yourself by not spending

enough time on them. A great Bio gets them interested, a Press Release shines a spotlight and a

One Sheet makes it easy for interviewers, labels and radio. This information is beneficial to Singers

and Songwriters

Kim Copeland:

Are You a Kareoke Singer or An Artist? - How to Become a Successful artist .

There is a big difference between being a good singer and a successful artist…. Between making

money performing and being just another karaoke singer….. Between a dream and a career.

Kim Copeland will listen to a short performance by each registrant and give specific vocal and

performance tips that will help you attract an audience and build a career as a successful performer

in the music industry.

How to Fix a 3 Minute Song in 5 Minutes or Less - Are your songs good enough to be on the radio?

Or are they “almost” there, but not quite cutting through the crowded commercial market? Kim

Copeland will share easy, but very powerful writing techniques that will take your songs from “good”

to “commercial”.

Each registrant should bring one song on cd for a song roulette session.

How to Feed the Musicians Without Getting Your Hand Bitten! Ever record demos that don’t end

up sounding anything like you heard in your head?

Kim will give you a very unique insight into how to communicate your ideas to musicians, engineers,

producers and vocalists to get the results you want and build relationships with industry pros that can

benefit your career.

You’ll learn when to stand your ground and when to trust the professionals, and HOW to express your

ideas in ways that will make you and your recordings better for it.

Dave Isaacs:

The Music in Your Head - You know what you hear. Learn to identify and communicate it more

effectively. Many songwriters have a clear mental picture of what they believe a finished song should

sound like, but lack either the musical skills or vocabulary to communicate their ideas to co-writers,

producers, and musicians. Learn a set of concrete exercises and skills that will help you hone in on

and communicate what you hear. Also, learn to recognize when you need the assistance of a pro to

make it all clear in the work tape or chart.

Crafting Instrumental Hooks -The art of the riff. Some of the most memorable guitar hooks or “riffs”

in popular music are surprisingly easy to play. Just like a good chorus, a memorable riff draws the

listener in from the first note. Learn how to craft great musical parts from your existing chords and

melody, regardless of your ability on the instrument.

Effortless Guitar - Make friends with your instrument. Many players develop habits that limit their

ability to improve, but these habits are often easy to break by making small changes in your approach

to the instrument. Learn the most common traps that guitarists fall into, and simple techniques that

can free your hands and body and instantly change the way you play.

John Capek:

The Other Half of a Song: Melody and Harmony - Intros, endings, cadences, tension and release.

Why do we care? How do you make a melody? Do we need to be great instrumentalists to be great

songwriters? Is tempo important and does it matter what key the song is in? Minor keys, what do they

mean?

Do these words fit my melody?

Music is the other half of a song. It often takes second place in the songwriting process where lyric is

king. Except for the fact that great melodies are the thing that history remembers.

This class discusses the process of music making in our songs and how to make better melodies

and harmonies.

Waddya Know? Put your hands up and step away from that guitar! (Fundamental questions that

need to be answered before you start your next song.) ADVANCED CLASS - Writing a song is a

creative process. What do Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso and Socrates have in common with

songwriters? More than you would imagine. How do we create something from nothing? What is the

path we take to get from a musical point A to point B. How do we get inspired?

This is a class that covers the most basic fundamentals of writing songs, and then extends the

process into an exploration of invention, creativity and inspiration. How do we know our song is

finished? What is prosody and why do we care? What comes first, music or lyrics? Why am I not

getting cuts?

All of this and more will be covered in this more advanced songwriting 101 class.

Waddya Know? Put your hands up and step away from that guitar! (Fundamental questions that

need to be answered before you start your next song.) BEGINNER CLASS - This is songwriting

101. There are some very rudimentary but essential basic concepts regarding the process of

songwriting that are rarely discussed or described. Without a knowledge of the most basic funda

mentals, we tend to make assumptions. And we all know what happens when we make

assumptions!

This is an interactive class conversation based on a preset list of questions that covers the most

essential starting points of a songwriter’s journey. What is the meaning of life? Why are we here?

Why write a song at all? Why quit your day job?