April 21-23, 2023

A weekend in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina teaching songwriting with intention.

Please note that the schedule is subject to slight changes and participants will be notified via email prior to the retreat.

Friday, 4/21

• 10:00 am – Meet and Greet, staff and class intros

• 10:45am-12:15pm – The Anatomy of A Good Song – Tom Paxton, Crys Matthews, Cathy Fink
We all know there’s a verse, a chorus, sometimes a bridge. But here we’ll dig into the nitty gritty about getting started, writing, overwriting and then deciding what to keep and what to discard. Details, details, details. In class exercise and sharing.

12:15-1:30pm – LUNCH
Space is available for lunch at the Civic Center, but you provide your own food. You can bring lunch, order and pick up, organize a lunch run, and if you want, hang out with your fellow songwriters and get to know them.

• 1:30-3pm –   Making the Personal Universal – Crys Matthews

• 3:15-4:45– New-Old Songs (Songwriting in the tradition) –   Tom Paxton, Cathy Fink
Is your chosen tradition Woody Guthrie, or is it Jean Ritchie? Is it Bruce Springsteen or is it Joni Mitchell? Old songs give us a structure to work with and templates that we can work with and revise to our own use.

Dinner on your own

7pm-8:30pm –  Song Swap at Arts Council Building

 

Saturday, 4/22

• 10-11:30am – Writing From A Prompt– Cathy Fink
In this class, we will work with 3 different writing prompts and write in class. We won’t finish whole songs, but we should be able to dig into some good lines and refrains.  

• 11:45-1:15  – Social Justice in Song – Crys Matthews

1:15-2:45 – LUNCH
Space is available for lunch at the Civic Center, but you provide your own food. You can bring lunch, order and pick up, organize a lunch run, and if you want, hang out with your fellow songwriters and get to know them.

• 2:45-4:15 – Editing Your Song – Tom Paxton
Bring your songs, printed please, and Tom will look at as many as we have time for. Please only bring songs you are open to having discussed in the group.  

4:15-7:30pm – Hangout with your Fellow Participants, dinner break

• 7:30pm – Staff Concert: Tom Paxton, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Crys Matthews

9:30pm – Song Swap at Arts Council Building

Sunday, 4/23

• 10:00- 11:30am – One on One Sessions with staff
You will be able to pre-sign up for a one on one session with a staff member. Each session will be 15 minutes, so please be prepared with specific questions or song sections.

• 11:45-12:45pm – Co-Writing –  Tom Paxton & Cathy Fink
Tom Paxton regularly co-writes with five different songwriters. Cathy co-writes with Tom and others. They’re gonna give co-writing a try right in front of you! Then, we’re going to have you team up and give it a try. Not every co-writing session results in a great song, but every co-writing session teaches you something about the process.

12:45-1:15 – Lunch

• 1:15-2:15pm –  8 Songs That Changed My Life – Crys Matthews

• 2-:15-3:30pm – Prepare for Participant Showcase (held at Arts Center Building)

• 3:30-5pm – Participant Showcase