2010 Contemporary Folk Week Classes

Please note that some subjects are offered in both mornings and afternoons. Different sections of the same class subject are given letter designations (A, B, C, etc.), and usually cover identical content. To get the most out of your experience, we suggest that you do not register for more than one section of the same subject. Please make your class selections carefully to avoid time conflicts, and clearly indicate which section you want on your registration form, using the letter designations.

SONGWRITING:

FEEDBACK & CRITIQUE (Sara Hickman)
Songwriters can get stuck. They can need encouragement to feel confident that their thoughts are unique enough to express, and yet, still fluid enough to capture an audience’s attention. Sara’s feedback will help point out the strengths and weaknesses of each individual writer while sharing creative ideas to help songwriters become more aware, more productive and better songwriters all around. Our objective will be to remind class participants that they are truly one of a kind, and that their ideas, motivational skills and thought processes are important to share because they are the only ones who can share these ideas. Through personal and group interaction, Sara uses humor and emotion to ignite enthusiasm not only for the classroom experience, but life experiences for all.

SONG DECONSTRUCTION (Peter Mulvey)
Peter will begin this session by demonstrating a handful of his own songs, playing them and then deconstructing them to illustrate the moving parts, pistons, gears and mice on little wheels. For the bulk of the workshop, we will focus on the participants’ own songs (including that disassembling process - be ready!) and then various techniques: “alternate tunings as inspiration,” “single string theory for intuitive play,” “use of the back of the notebook as the back of the mind,” etc. All the techniques are brought back inevitably to the students’ own composing process. The instructor will also invite individual sessions outside regular class time.

SONGWRITING SMORGASBORD (Jack Williams)
This class is for those who have written one or more songs and want to do much more and take their skills to another plateau. Please note: We won’t be entering the tempting realm of “commercial songwriting”, that is, we’ll focus on how to write a good song which satisfies you and your listeners, and won’t discuss how to write a “hit” or get songs cut by famous artists (these are two different animals!) Everyone will have a chance to play at least one original song - a recent one, preferably, or a work in progress - and enjoy (or endure) our critique. We’ll explore the many facets of the songwriting process with a different topic each day: Initial ideas – where to find ’em, how to create ’em, observing your surroundings, recalling experiences and feelings; Lyric-writing – poetry vs songwriting, finding your own voice, discussing why finding words derails some writers; Melody-writing – uniting lyrics and melody, recycling old tunes, fishing in the well for new melodic material; Accompaniment – the many roles of your instrument in the process, including the creation of ideas, “talking to yourself”, your instrument as “Greek chorus”; Rhythm – exploring what role it can play in expressing a song’s message or in distracting from its power; Editing/finishing – “cleaning it up”, “separating the wheat from the chaff”, “closing the deal”, and getting a new song ready for performance. Yes, six topics were named for five sessions. We’ll manage somehow.

WRITING MELODIES (Abbie Gardner)
Do your songs all sound the same? Do you have great lyrics, but something isn’t clicking and the song feels boring? Can people sing your songs back to you, even if they don’t know the words? It’s the melody that gets people hooked. That’s what they hum as they leave the show. It’s what makes a song memorable and unique. Throughout the week we’ll study the non-lyrical side to songwriting. We’ll look at classic melodies from some of the best songs ever written and figure out why they work so well. With a background in classical music theory, jazz and folk music, Abbie will guide you through the process of analyzing a melody. We’ll learn to write songs that get stuck in people’s heads and help your well-crafted lyrics be heard. Bring in songs that need melodic help and we’ll re-write them. There will be daily in-class practice to get you writing from the melody right away and you’ll go home at the end of the week with a toolbox full of concrete melody-writing techniques.

GETTING UNSTUCK (Abbie Gardner)
At some point, we all get stuck. Songwriting becomes a chore, something intimidating, something we put off like doing our taxes. This class will use fun activities to get you writing again, tap back into the fun of it, unblock those creative channels and think outside the box. When a painter stares at a blank page, there’s a fear and anticipation of making that first mark, very similar to songwriting. This class will help you make that first mark, push through the fear that we all feel, and tap back into that creativity you know you have. When a baby learns to walk, she falls down over and over. She fails more than she succeeds, but keeps trying because it’s not work to her – it’s PLAY. The painter needs to remember that it’s only paper, and the songwriter needs to remember that it’s just a song. And it’s a simple fact that the more you write the better you get at it. No assignments in this class, no homework, no critiques of any kind, but get ready to exercise your creativity, laugh, have fun and PLAY! Together, we’ll get past the “blank page fear” by painting, making rhyme charts, writing stupid songs, laughing, and learning to support our own creativity by using very practical but fun methods. Abbie will bring together her knowledge of songwriting, neuro-science and sensory integration to teach you hands on practical techniques for getting unstuck.

CO-WRITING (Jon Vezner)
The class will explore the benefits and advantages of co-writing, how to choose a co-writer, discussion of the co-writing process, and the division of copyright. Students will be paired up with someone to be their co-writer for the week in the first class session. Co-writers will then work on their songs on their own time. Class time will be set aside each day to discuss progress, problems etc., and the songs (complete or incomplete) will be performed during the last day of class.

TURNING ANYTHING INTO SONG (Christine Lavin)
Christine has written a 10 minute “play-in-the-form-of-a-song” (“Shopping Cart Of Love”), an 8-minute history of the planet Pluto (“Planet X”), a 6-minute song that uses 27 witticisms written by 20th century iconoclast H. L. Mencken (“Mencken’s Pen”), a 3-minute song that describes the life-cycle of a lightning bug (“A Firefly’s Life”), and a one-minute song that discusses the odds of winning the Mega-Million lottery vs. the odds of getting struck by lightning (“Odds Are”). If you can rhyme it, it can be a song. Christine will show you how. Bring an idea for a song that you haven’t yet figured out how to make work.

SIBLING RIVALRY (Catie Curtis)
A song is like a family of ideas. The different parts of song form (intro, verse, chorus, bridge, etc.) are like siblings. They usually fare better if they have unique identities and serve different roles in the song. Sometimes the first born is the responsible communicator, sometimes the youngest grabs the most attention. We’ll analyze the different ways to make each section distinct and powerful, to create the most dynamic song. If possible, bring an incomplete song (one that doesn’t have distinct sections yet, or that only has one part written, eg: a chorus) that you would like to work on in this class.

OOPSY TO ARTSY (Catie Curtis)
Develop your capacity for creativity through the serendipitous juxtaposition of images, words, and events to trigger fresh song ideas. Learn to stumble backwards into creative songwriting by noticing more astutely the signs that you see in front of you. Gradually, we take these ideas and make meaningful songs out of the metaphors they provide, by connecting the images to a central theme. In this class, you will be given brainstorming exercises as a group to generate ideas. You will also be given time to write on your own, returning to the group for feedback. Through unintentional or accidental pairing of images, we can spark the imagination and transcend cliché. The goal is to leave this class with an image-driven song underway that you can’t wait to finish!

SONG CRITIQUES (Jon Vezner)
Songs chosen for critique each day will be drawn from “a hat.” Attendees will be encouraged to attend all sessions for it will be beneficial to be a part of the process whether your song has been chosen or not. Critiques will be very in-depth, and we’ll hope to cover two to three songs per 75 minute session. We will address song form and structure, prosody, storyline, melody, arrangement and last but not least, commercial potential.

SONGWRITING 101 (David Roth)
Never written a song before? Brimming with ideas that are all dressed up and no place to go? No ideas at all? Let’s roll up our sleeves together and start at the beginning. This all-levels class is geared especially towards those who are new to the craft but also to those who simply might like to strip down their own process a bit by looking through a different lens at this wondrous art form. We’ll write every day (I’m lyric-driven - I usually start with words and see where they lead me), brainstorm compelling individual themes worth writing about, examine the different elements that make a song, and engage in lively dialogue/exercises/demonstrations on topics like sculpting inspiration, developing universal truths from personal stories, tackling tough subject matter, and being honest. We’ll also have fun in a safe, playful, supportive, permissive, and powerful environment and with any luck (luck: the intersection of opportunity and persistence) and as time allows we’ll get to hear some of these new creations during the week.

A GRAIN OF SALT (David Roth)
Here’s an interactive and participatory opportunity to air out a song (or part thereof) that you might like some input on. I’m not an advocate of telling anyone else what I think of their songs – unless they ask. And even then I request that everything be taken with a you-know-what. You are the CEO of your song. We’ll hear these works-in-progress and become a collective think-tank about what’s working so far and what might be improved upon in a supportive and constructive environment. There’s a lot to be learned by witnessing the process too, so it’s also an opportunity to hone your listening and feedback-giving skills as well as a chance to ponder all the elements that make a song click. Everyone will have a chance to be heard during the week, and we’ll bask in the beauty of the varied lenses through which we view the world via our art. Fun, friendly, playful, powerful.

PERFORMANCE:

FINDING YOUR INNER RUBBER CHICKEN (Jack Williams)
Everyone in the class will have an opportunity to play and/or sing as we explore what makes a performance capture the interest and imagination of an audience. We’ll emphasize holding your audience’s interest without resorting to unnecessary or extreme performance measures, debunking the myth that an artist, with excellent music, talk, and stage presence, must use a gimmick – a “rubber chicken” – to succeed in performance. We’ll focus on how to plan a performance, how to keep a set “flowing”; how to handle “dead air” which results from tuning or other momentary distractions from the music; and how make each person in your audience feel “connected” to you and your music. We’ll discuss considerations such as song arrangement, patter or story-telling, stage presence and movement, and we’ll explore varying the key and character of the songs in your set-list, all of which play a huge role in the “flow” of your set. We’ll work to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative in your own musical performance and will seek to increase your confidence for the next time you step before an audience.

PERFORMANCE & SONGWRITING (Vance Gilbert)
Vance’s dicta is that songwriting and performance are inextricable entities, so his classes will focus more on one or the other aspect, depending on individual need. All of this is done in a supportive atmosphere as if it were an “instructive open mike,” Vance working with one student as the others watch. Then it’s YOUR turn!! In these practical classes Vance gets “under the hood” of what you do and want to do. This is all terrific fun too, cause he is both supportive and very entertaining. This stage/song bootcamp is a class you don’t want to miss.

ADVANCED VANCE (Vance Gilbert)
Taken a Swannanoa Gathering class with Vance before? This offering is for any of you “graduates” who want to go further in performance and songwriting with one of the best. Got the basics? Then here’s an opportunity to dig into the performance/songwriting connection bit little deeper. A great opportunity to tweak and hone skills previously acquired in a “Vance” class.

YOU GOT SKILLS! (Christine Lavin)
The performance begins the minute the audience member walks in the door of the venue, and ends the minute they walk out (hopefully not til the show is over!). This class will investigate how to incorporate all your skills to make each and every performance an unforgettable experience. We’ll also touch on how to set the mood for your show using lighting; pre-concert, intermission, and post-concert music that enhances what you do; as well as the art of carefully structuring your set for greatest impact and learning what not to do onstage that can subliminally work against you.

VOCAL:

VOCAL CLINIC (Siobhán Quinn)
This class is for road-weary, occasional and even “never before” singers, especially guitarists! Everyone has a unique sound from the physical make-up of their vocal cords/resonance chambers; learning vocal technique will help you claim your songs with your voice! Siobhán uses classical/modern technique as a foundation for vocal flexibility while helping you to maintain individual vocal personality. We’ll work individually to explore and enhance your voice and you will develop a personal basic regimen to maintain skills you learn in the workshop. Siobhán is an encouraging teacher who will help you to bring out the best parts of your voice within each song you sing. Be prepared to work on two songs – one you love to sing, and one you really want to sing. They do not have to be your own and a capella is just fine. We will cover 1) vocal/breath warm-ups leading up to advanced workouts, 2) physiology of the voice, how to use each part – knowledge crucial to getting the most out of your instrument, including vocal health issues, 3) specific issues and exercises for songwriters/ guitarists, such as posture with instrument, lack of breath, singing flexibly within your range, positioning and strengthening exercises to shake out the unsteady parts of your voice. We’ll work toward songs in the second half of the week, and how to translate the emotional intention of a song effectively.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SONG (Siobhán Quinn)
This is intended as a next step for prior students of the Vocal Clinic class, but also available to those with a bit of vocal experience. We’ll spend the first day on basics, getting everyone on the same page, then immediately focusing on tools to capture your best performance in songs of your choice. There will be individual work/performance and interactive vocal warm-ups each day. Everyone will learn crucial vocal and performance skills for translating technical singing skills into excellent vocal performance of songs – whether humorous, sensitive, deep dark songs, or the wailing blues. Siobhán may even use video to record and show you exactly what’s happening when you sing.

GUITAR & CREATIVITY:

THE SINGER/SONGWRITER AS GUITARIST (Peter Mulvey)
This will be similar to Peter’s songwriting class, but with more of an emphasis on the guitar as a machine to be put into service supporting songs. Beginning with his own works, Peter will demonstrate various guitar mechanics by taking the compositions apart, and then delve into the students’ work. Single-string theory, the fundamentals of rhythm, alternate tunings, and simplicity will be explored in the context of performing a song. Intermediate to advanced guitar players will benefit the most from this class, and Guitar Week students are welcome.

GUITAR TOOLS: STRING THEORY for GUITARISTS A & B (Ray Chesna)
(Note: This class is offered twice; once in the morning, then repeated in the afternoon.) Ray ties it all together and breaks it all down. Be it your own personal style, your songwriting, blues, bluegrass, new age, Celtic, pop, jazz; the one thing that they all have in common is THEORY. This fun and involving course will explore melody (scales) and harmony (chords) in understandable terms and with simple concepts. The insightful, practical instruction will enable the student to easily apply the concepts to the guitar. This has been a popular course for several years now, and, of course, Ray has some new tricks up his sleeve. This year we will be spending more time on chords, chord progressions and deconstructing classic songs. Clear, helpful handouts will allow the student to bring this information home for continued study. Repeat offenders always welcome.

LIVING LIFE CREATIVELY (Sara Hickman)
Are you wanting to be a more creative person but not sure where to begin? Let creative elf/musician/artist/producer/mom Sara Hickman teach you how to form new habits and ways of thinking creatively. Sara will take you on a journey to release your spark of insight with different methods of living creatively. Weave storytelling, songwriting, art and the gospel of making something out of nothing into your daily routine via writing, drawing, dancing, talking, listening, noticing and games. Turn your life, your home and your community into a wonderland of non-stop creative ka-pow!

EVENING ACTIVITIES:

Evenings will provide opportunities for performing, trading songs and ideas, and sharing personal experiences. We will have open mikes, which will give everyone the chance to see each other ‘at work’, and to hone the skills acquired in class. Please note that the open mikes are open only to those who have declared themselves to be Contemporary Folk Week students and are taking at least two classes in the Contemporary Folk Week program. On Wednesday evening, there will be a concert by staff members, and on Friday, a Community Sing.