‘Storytelling through Song’

A SONGWRITING WORKSHOP

With songwriter/poet/musician, SHANE HOWARD

Shane will share thoughts, on the nature and structure of song, from his own long songwriting journey.

“Song is ancient. It’s still how humans remember and transmit information, while evoking emotive force. It’s also how we put children to sleep, express sorrow, joy and rage or invoke the divine.”

He says, “Songwriting is a mysterious artform. The words are lyrical poetry, one of the earliest forms of literature. Part poetry, part music and another intangible element, harder to define. Song is a different voice to the spoken word. Syllables can be stretched in a way they aren’t with spoken word. Songs may take days, weeks, months or years to create. Sometimes, they just don’t work and are abandoned.”

He'll discuss the intention, inspiration and perspiration in the writing process, as well as the process of ordering information and what the Irish poet Yeats called, ‘The hammering into unity.”

He'll also talk to the more pragmatic elements of songwriting, like rules around appropriation, the legal nature of Intellectual Property. (eg: how to apportion copyright when people co-write.)

This will be a chance to ask questions, work alongside others, writing to common themes and create new work.

This 4 hour workshop, broken up into sections, with Lunch in the middle, is an opportunity to either start or further develop your own journey of telling stories through song or just to gain insight from one our nation’s treasured writers.

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