Songwriting Workshops
Over the past year, I’ve been running a great deal of community workshops in different settings. The theme running throughout all of my workshops is a love of songwriting and singing. I’m passionate about passing on my songwriting process, so that participants are able to continue writing songs, long after I have left. Whilst the songwriting process provokes careful introspection and considered thought, playing music has the power to bring a group of people together and unify them.
Qualifications and Experience
I am a qualified Workshop Leader after completing a traineeship with Spitalfields Music and Britten Pears Arts. I have delivered songwriting workshops in deprived primary schools in East London (reception, year 2, year 3) with Spitalfields Music. I’ve delivered workshops in SEND schools (ages 9-16) in Suffolk with Pro Corda, creating one song with an entire school. I undertake regular work at HM Prison Warren Hill with Britten Pears Arts writing individual songs with prisoners, culminating with a recorded album of their songs played with a full band. I have co-led multiple sessions for adults in later life with BPA and created my own resource for this when I was working with Suffolk Artlink.
Schools Workshop info
“The students got SO much out of that day – 2 students haven’t stopped writing poetry and lyrics since – I’ve had 2 more come up and ask me if they can sing in assemblies more next year, 1 already was brave enough to sing solo on the last assembly of the year! Plus our juniors did not stop singing the song, nor the teachers! Honestly, it meant the world to me and more than you know to our students! Thank you, truly! Corrina Groombridge – Music Teacher, Centre Academy, East Anglia (SEN School).
Days – Between 1 and 5. Week-long or spread out over multiple weeks.
Time – School Hours
Space Required – A classroom for each facilitator and a school hall or similar to all sing together. We begin the day with an intro in the hall, mornings in classrooms, and do the afternoon session in the hall. The classrooms are set out in a circle.
Staff – I or 2 creative leaders. Either two music leaders or a combination of songwriting and script writing, combining music and drama.
Numbers: 30 max per session. Teachers and support staff are expected to get stuck in with us!
Cost: Solo £290 (Ex Travel) Duo £495 (Ex Travel)
Primary (Reception – Year One, Ages 4-6)
The mornings are: Name games, fun icebreakers, write simple songs together by replacing words in songs they already love. Generally share a passion for music and singing and see where it goes! Perform the songs we have made together and record it on my Zoom recorder.
Primary (Year Two-Six, Ages 7-11)
The mornings are: Name games, fun icebreakers, write a song together and teach the process. After lunch, I teach what we have so far to the whole school, we sing it at the end of the project and I record it on my Zoom recorder.
High School (Ages 11-16)
The mornings are: Name games, fun icebreakers, teaching the process of songwriting.
Participants are split into break out groups and are encouraged to write their own songs. We develop the songs step by step and help the students perform the music using band instruments.
If you have a computer suite I love theming the workshops around Garageband and creating recordings of the songs.
A Level Music Tech Ages 16+
Teaching participants to write their own lyrics and make them into songs using computers in the school’s computer suite. Teaching how to arrange music on computers. Teaching how to mix music creating a digital signal chain using EQ, compression and reverb. Teaching them how to make their own drum pad by recording their own claps and stomps and loading them into a sampler, then making a modern electronic track out of it.
SEND
These sessions are really fun! The mornings are: Name games, fun icebreakers (body percussion or compositional games), write a song together and teach the process. After lunch, I teach what we have so far to the whole school, we sing it at the end of the week and I record it on a Zoom recorder. I prefer to keep classroom numbers to 18 participants. Please ensure students bring ear defenders if they like to wear them.
Adults In Later Life Workshop Info
Days: 1-2 hour session with a break
Times: Morning 10-12 or afternoon 2-4
Staff: 1 or 2 music leaders
Cost: Solo £125 Duo £250
Numbers: up to 30 including carers.
Space Required: Communal space where participants can create a circle.
What is it? I work with participants beginning with playing songs I think they will know, encouraging their involvement in singing and shaking percussion instruments (and occasionally some dancing). I do a name game and an icebreaker. We do some improvisation together and end up by creating a song and singing it together. I do some improvisation with participants. We have a break in the middle and ask that care staff are on hand to make cups of tea for the participants. The sessions are really fun and encourage engagement and connection through music.