Writing the Songs Only You Can Write: A Six-Week Songwriting Workshop with Beth Wood

Stories live within each of us. Songs can be powerful tools for preserving and honoring story, expressing emotion, and sharing your unique perspective. In this interactive six-week workshop we will work together in a safe, non-judgmental space to access our unique stories and translate them into song. What are the nuts and bolts of songwriting and how can we utilize them to convey our message? How do words suggest melody and vice versa? How does song form influence the communication of a narrative?

We will explore tools for beginnings and engage in wordplay exercises and guided free-writing. We will examine songs as examples and refine our awareness in noticing the choices that songwriters make. We will write, share, listen and learn from each other. Bring your open heart, your open mind and your curious spirit. All levels of songwriting experience are welcome.

Maximum of 12 participants for this virtual workshop series.

About the instructor:

Texan-raised, Oregon-based singer-songwriter Beth Wood has labored in the world of independent music for 23 years, morphing from a young classically-trained, folk-tinged singer-songwriter to a wailing southern rock band leader to a college-circuit coffeehouse sweetheart to a well-respected nationally-touring poet and troubadour. Through all of these incarnations, Wood has remained true to herself and to her artistry; she has done it her way.

Out of that fierceness and commitment to her craft comes a body of work that cannot be denied. Wood’s twelve independently released solo albums and one duo album (Stand and Sway) have gained her a fan-base that is loyal and true, and her creative work has earned her the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Award and the 2019 Oregon Book Award Peoples’ Choice Award for her poetry book Ladder To The Light. In addition to her records, Beth has released three books of poetry and one book of silly essays about ridiculous merch table conversations.

Beth Wood is a modern-day troubadour, poet, and believer in the power of word and song. Beth’s work has expanded to include teaching and song coaching, as well as leading workshops in creative writing, performance dynamics, and singing at festivals, songwriting retreats and beyond. Beth believes that engagement in the process of creation is as important as its outcome, and that there are no wrong notes. She lives in Sisters with her loyal dog Bailey and is continuously writing and rewriting her artist’s manifesto.

https://www.bethwoodmusic.com/

For additional questions or concerns regarding program content: Beth Wood bethwoodmusic@hotmail.com

For additional questions or concerns regarding logistics, arrangements, and general assistance: Dave Ehle dave@sistersfolkfestival.org or 541-588-7066

Refund Policy: Because this is a virtual event, refunds will not be given. Enrollment may be transferred by the purchaser.

*photograph is of a song camper from Sisters Folk Festival's 2019 Americana Song Academy