The Ark Presents: Series of different workshops on songwriting
The Ark Workshops
The Ark and Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago are partnering to offer several online workshop opportunities this month.
Mary Gauthier:
Accessing Universal Truth and Generating Empathy in Song
Thursday, December 3, 7pm – 8:30pm ET
Registration: $50 http://ots.fm/2jark
This workshop is available as a one-off class or as part of Mary Gauthier Workshops: Songwriting Toolkit Series.
Universal truths are what make songs resonate. Emotional truths apply to everyone, regardless of cultural differences, age, race, gender, sexuality, political ideology, geographic location, etc. Songs that contain universal truths build bridges that connect people who may believe they have little in common, generating empathy even in these divided times. These are the songs that remind us we are not alone.
We humans are far more alike than different, and universal, emotional truths are true for everyone. They are central to the human condition. Deeper than the personal details of each of our stories and well beyond navel gazing, they remind us of who we are. They are embedded in the deeply personal parts of our self. They are closely held secrets, secrets we may even be keeping from ourselves. Songs are where we discover, then tell, these secrets.
Universal themes:
· Love
· Redemption
· Courage and Perseverance
· Coming of Age
· Revenge
· Good vs Evil
· Forgiveness
-As an example, I will play, then break down my song “Mercy Now”. I will go into the backstory, tell how I wrote it, explain the universal truths inside the song, and discuss how I arrived at them.
Note: This will be a lecture class 60 minutes in length plus 30 minutes of Q and A. Open to all who are interested.
Grammy Nominated Mary Gauthier has been called a songwriter’s songwriter. She has released 9 studio albums over her twenty-five year music business career. She was named “One of America’s most admired artists across the US and around the world,” by The Wall Street Journal, who noted her “razor-sharp eye for detail and her commitment to unsentimental self-reflection.” A regular on Grand Ole Opry; her songs have been recorded by Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Boy George, Jimmy Buffett, Bettye Lavette, Bobby Bare, Kathy Mattea, Amy Helm, and many others.
Her newest release Rifles and Rosary Beads, is a record of songs she co-wrote with Veterans thru Songwriting With Soldiers, a non-profit program that pairs wounded veterans with songwriters. These songs tell the story of war and the effect it has had on Americans who’ve served, and their families. It was nominated for a Grammy for Best Folk Album, Record of the Year by the Americana Music Association, and the UK Americana Association named Mary International Artist of the Year. Her songs have appeared extensively in film and television, most recently on HBO TV’s Yellowstone and NBC’s Nashville.
Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas Workshop: Finding Your Inner Drummer
Saturday, December 5, 1-3:30 ET
Registration: $45 http://ots.fm/2k9ark
Using dance rhythms found in traditional and non-traditional music, Alasdair and Natalie explore the possibilities of different rhythmic approaches on bowed, stringed instruments. Learn to be a part of the rhythm section and contribute to a group as a more well-rounded, ensemble musician. Learn techniques new to the string world and develop your sense of groove to make your music come alive! Alasdair and Natalie are happy to welcome all sorts of instruments to the workshop.
The musical partnership between consummate performer Alasdair Fraser, “the Michael Jordan of Scottish fiddling”, and brilliant Californian cellist Natalie Haas spans the full spectrum between intimate chamber music and ecstatic dance energy. Over the last 20 years of creating a buzz at festivals and concert halls across the world, they have truly set the standard for fiddle and cello in traditional music. They continue to thrill audiences internationally with their virtuosic playing, their near-telepathic understanding, and the joyful spontaneity and sheer physical presence of their music.
Peter Himmelman Songwriting Workshop: Write Better, Faster, and More
Sunday, December 6, 2pm ET
Registration: $40 http://ots.fm/vb7ark
What creative ideas are hiding beneath the surface of your conscious mind? Join acclaimed songwriter, Peter Himmelman, and learn how to gain unfettered access to your subconscious creativity. As a songwriter, one of the best things to do is get out of your own way. Peter helps you do that. Through super fun writing exercises, high energy discussions, and guided practice, Peter gives you the tools to step away from your overly judgmental brain. The results of culling ideas directly from the wellsprings of your subconscious are revealing, enlightening, and incredibly fulfilling.
To a standard-bearer like Peter Himmelman —about whom Parke Puterburgh, former senior editor at Rolling Stone once wrote in Stereo Review, “…He is on the “same plane as Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, and Bruce Springsteen and nudging his way to Dylanhood,”—writing, recording and releasing new music is an essential part of living. “I think of writing songs like I do respiration. It’s about taking in, and giving out, “Himmelman says. “The things we see and feel are often too difficult to convey in normal conversation.” The Grammy and Emmy-nominated musician, film composer, visual artist, and best-selling author released “Press On,” his 15th solo album in July of 2020. Himmelman is the only rock and roll performer to have received both an Advanced Management certificate from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a certificate of Leadership Development from The United States Army War College. Founded in 2013, his company Big Muse, has worked with academic institutions such as The Wharton School, The Ross School of Business, McDonald’s, Gap Inc., Boeing, Coca-Cola, and 3M to help leaders and their teams experience a fresh, unfettered relationship with their own innate creativity.
The workshop will be taught on the Zoom internet platform. Instructions for signing on will be sent to registrants in advance.
Songwriting Toolkit Series: A Workshop Series with Mary Gauthier
Thursday, December 10 & 17, 7pm ET
Registration: $200 for 3-day series http://ots.fm/2n8ark
This 3-day songwriting workshop series takes place on Thursday, 12/10, Thursday, 12/17, and includes a spot at Mary’s Accessing Universal Truth Workshop (see above) on Thursday, 12/3.
Strictly limited to 12 attendees, in these workshops Mary Gauthier will listen to a song (finished or unfinished) from each student and offer feedback and encouragement. She will provide a deep dive into the mechanics and art of songwriting using student’s songs to find teachable moments. The idea is to put new songwriting tools in the toolkits of every member of the class. Increasing the number of tools you have in your toolkit is the fastest way to become a better songwriter.
Mary Gauthier has twenty years of experience working with songwriters in this way and her book, Saved by A Song, is coming out in August 2021 on St. Martin’s MacMillan Press. This series will be a combination of short lectures and hands-on student participation. You will walk away with information that usually takes decades to figure out.
Grammy Nominated Mary Gauthier has been called a songwriter’s songwriter. She has released 9 studio albums over her twenty-five year music business career. She was named “One of America’s most admired artists across the US and around the world,” by The Wall Street Journal, who noted her “razor-sharp eye for detail and her commitment to unsentimental self-reflection.” A regular on Grand Ole Opry; her songs have been recorded by Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Boy George, Jimmy Buffett, Bettye Lavette, Bobby Bare, Kathy Mattea, Amy Helm, and many others.
Her newest release Rifles and Rosary Beads, is a record of songs she co-wrote with Veterans thru Songwriting With Soldiers, a non-profit program that pairs wounded veterans with songwriters. These songs tell the story of war and the effect it has had on Americans who’ve served, and their families. It was nominated for a Grammy for Best Folk Album, Record of the Year by the Americana Music Association, and the UK Americana Association named Mary International Artist of the Year. Her songs have appeared extensively in film and television, most recently on HBO TV’s Yellowstone and NBC’s Nashville.
The workshop will be taught on the Zoom internet platform. Instructions for signing on will be sent to registrants in advance.
Deb Talan Songwriting Workshop
Sunday, December 13, 2pm ET
Registration: $40 http://ots.fm/dh9ark
Deb Talan, acclaimed songwriter from The Weepies, will be offering a presentation and discussion on her songwriting process. She will share lyric pages, inspirations, stories behind a few songs, and suggestions for how to get your own creative energy humming. This workshop presentation will be followed by a moderated Q & A. This is a wonderful opportunity to gain insight into Deb’s songwriting process. For fans and songwriters alike, this workshop has something for everyone. Deb Talan has been writing songs since she was 14 years old. She played clarinet, wrote songs on piano, later taught herself to play guitar in college, got obsessed with Shawn Colvin, started a band in Portland, OR with her friend Mark named Hummingfish, wrote a lot of fun songs that people danced to ‘til they were all sweaty, moved back to the East coast 6 years and a divorce later and began playing solo in Boston coffee houses, opened shows for Catie Curtis (a songwriter hero of hers), met up with Steve Tannen and formed The Weepies, played shows all over the country and the world, moved to LA, got married to Steve, made 5 records and 3 amazing boy-children together with him, moved to Iowa, got breast cancer, recovered from breast cancer, made a solo album, struggled with mental health issues and relationship issues for 6 years, got divorced from Steve. She has a lot she could say these days. She prefers to listen. But playing songs for people is a close second. Music heals. Songs can be prayers.
Gary Louris Songwriting Workshop: Architectural Insights, Design Process, and Thinking About the Big Picture
Tuesday, December 15, 2020, 8pm ET
Registration: $40 http://ots.fm/sr6ark
Join acclaimed songwriter Gary Louris of The Jayhawks for a unique study into how he writes songs and an inside look into his creative process. Gary works at a place where inspiration meets craftsmanship. Not a storyteller by definition, Gary often works from the inside out, melding the conscious and unconscious to find the space in between. Gary utilizes the Design Process he learned in his nine years as an architect. Come find out what all this means in this presentational workshop that is part lecture, part moderated discussion.
The workshop will be taught on the Zoom internet platform. Instructions for signing on will be sent to registrants in advance.
Robyn Hitchcock: A Conversation about Songwriting with Jim DeRogatis and You!
Sunday, December 20, 2020, 2pm ET
Registration: $35 http://ots.fm/ca2ark
Watch, listen, and participate in what promises to be a lively, colorful conversation and Q&A session between one of England’s most enduring contemporary singer-songwriters and live performers, Robyn Hitchcock, respected music critic and radio host of Sound Opinions, Jim DeRogatis, and you!
Whether fronting the art-rock band the Soft Boys, leading his bands the Egyptians or the Venus 3, or his solo albums, Robyn Hitchcock’s blend of folk, psychedelia, and pop, combined with a wry British nihilism, has lead to one of the most deep and interesting modern songbooks.
A surrealist poet, talented guitarist, cult artist and musician’s musician, Hitchcock is among alternative rock’s father figures and is the closest thing the genre has to a Bob Dylan (not coincidentally his biggest musical inspiration).
Robyn describes his songs as ‘paintings you can listen to’. Listen in on this conversation to find out just what he means by that.
“A gifted melodist, Hitchcock nests engaging lyrics in some of the most bracing, rainbow-hued pop this side of Revolver. He wrests inspiration not from ordinary life but from extraordinary imaginings” – Rolling Stone
The workshop will be taught on the Zoom internet platform. Instructions for signing on will be sent to registrants in advance.
