Song Circle / Songwriting Tutorial

For: songwriters with work (finished or in-progress) to present with a view to identifying the good, the bad and the ugly. What you’ll need: Stringed instruments are here, including tenor uke, bouzouki, mandola, and standard and baritone guitars. There is no keyboard, sorry. Laptops/phones or paper to write notes and to share lyrics with other songwriters. Your preferred teabags and biscuits (nothing too fancy, we’re not here to have fun). What you’ll get: a mixture of fact and opinion that you can use to improve that song, future songs, or put in the bin. Format: Up to four participants present and discuss their song for 30 minutes or so, with a break and wider conversation soaking up the remaining time. About me/Dan Plews: I’ve been writing songs since 1991, taught songwriting in the UK at further and higher education levels between 2007 and 2021, obtained a postgraduate qualification in teaching adults at some point, and since 2010 I have led or taught at about forty residential workshops in eight countries. I write in English, but am reasonably fluent in German and have helped people write in several different languages. My journey into teaching songwriting began with a book on songwriting, a royalties windfall and a songwriting workshop. I have no music qualifications, unless you count the ‘Well Done You’re a Star!’ MS word Certificate I got from that first workshop.