A 5-step process for songwriter learning groups

Songwriters can often work without much idea of how to develop song ideas, complete songs, or write better songs. They may not have many ideas on how to identify in a song what works and is worth saving (for that song, or a future one), and what might be improved by editing / re-writing. Songwriters may not receive feedback on song material – especially work in progress – very often. What feedback they get may be unclear, inaccurate, uninformed, discouraging, or miss key points that need to be addressed. Co-writers want their partnership to work, but they may feel that the way they assess each other’s contributions or give feedback to each other is putting their songwriting process or their relationship at risk.

At best, a songwriters learning group can provide opportunities for songwriters to swap experiences and ideas, to support each other, to find co-writers, and to learn from and with each other. In particular, such a group could provide a valuable space for songwriters to learn together how to assess song material and give feedback on it, as well as to benefit from assessments and feedback they receive on their own song material.

However, there are challenges to creating a group feedback process for songwriters. Giving feedback and critique, especially on creative work, can be hard to do well. Unskilled, poorly judged, or ill-timed feedback can be confusing, and can hamper the songwriter’s skill development, and do long term damage to a songwriter’s confidence. Moreover, copyright and intellectual property are major issues. Participants would be sharing unpublished ‘work in progress’, which could be, at worst, plagiarised. Participants in a songwriters learning group are not official co-writers – there is no clear ‘split sheet’ (a written agreement of ownership percentages). But group participants would be giving and receiving creative advice and input on each other’s songs. Unclear agreements, or the absence of agreements, on ownership rights on songs or the different elements of songs could lead to interpersonal tensions, or, at worst, to legal disputes.
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For group meetings, it is good to agree some ground rules so that songwriters can feel confident to experiment, and share ideas, questions and their material in meetings. It is also useful to have values that can inspire our songwriting and our work together. Here are 15 principles to bear in mind: Read more ›

A songwriting group should be fun, educational, and a space for mutual support and trust. It’s worth experimenting with different formats to find what works well for you. Nothing has to be set in stone. If the group feels ready to change a format it has used for a while, that’s fine.

Here is one possible framework for a 2.5 hour meeting: Read more ›