Songwriting with Juan Wauters

We are pleased to announce that Juan Wauters will be leading School of Song's next songwriting workshop starting Sunday, February 23rd. In this course, Juan will lead us through his songwriting approach, methods and exercises for crafting songs. Whether you're a seasoned songwriter or never written a song before, we will explore the craft and artistic process through a selection of topics such as:

• Universality: What makes certain melodies and chord progressions resonate around the world? By breaking down some of Juan's most beloved songs, we will seek to distill some of these fundamental principles and encourage our own songs to connect with the heart of the universe.
• Freestyle and Collage: Freestyle as an approach for lyrical generation! Practicing and sustaining a flow state by embracing absurdity – collaging disjointed parts together to create both playful and psychedelic imagery.
• Theft & Originality: We don't just want to copy what we hear, we want to embody and integrate it! By dissecting the songs we love, we will seek to find the deeper characteristics of our individual voice.
• Recording as a way of play: How can we bring the same ethos of play and casualness into the recording process? Juan will share some new found freedom in working with different DAWs as a way to bring novelty to the songwriting process.

A few words from Juan:

By now, I have more than 20 years writing songs and looking back I can see that I have always connected with and focused on writing songs that, thou are very different in genre, are very similar in their core.

I associate this w the term UNIVERSAL - there is a specific type of songwriting that I focus on that repeats itself over and over (under different forms) in many different parts of the world. I associate these type of songs w the word folklore ( folk - lore : people's tales or traditions )

There is something really basic and yet infinite in these types of songs that connect w everyone. That has been my purpose, to connect w everyone thru my songs.

Course Logistics

• Workshop is taught over Zoom on the following dates:
  • Lectures: February 23rd, March 2nd, 9th and 16th (Sundays)
  • Q&As: February 26th, March 5th and 12th (Wednesdays)
  • Song-Shares: March 1st, 8th and 15th (Saturdays) - Optional
• The Sunday lectures are at 11a and 6p PT and will last about 1 hour (except for on Feb 23rd -- class will be 2 hours). The Wednesday Q&As are at 6p PT. Song-share options are 11a and 6p PT.
• If you can't make the live class, you can still participate by watching the recordings of lectures (sent out after class).
• You'll have the option to write 4 original songs using the techniques and perspectives Juan presents in lecture.

Signing up with a friend + Gifting

Sign up with a friend to receive a 20% discount by clicking here. 

If you'd like to buy the workshop for yourself and gift it to a friend, just add 1 to your cart with "This is a gift" checked and their info, and 1 to your cart normally -- the discount will be applied automatically. Note: no refunds on discounted orders.

FAQ:

Q: What musical experience should I have?

A: People across all musical levels will be able to gain something from the course. 

Q: What if I’ve never written a song before? Can I still participate in this workshop?

A: Yes! As with any new skill, just starting is usually the hardest part. The songs are optional and this workshop will provide the structure and accountability we all need to get started and follow through, for beginners and old guard writers alike.

Q: Is there an enrollment cap?

A: Nope! This is a lecture-style class with open enrollment. The song shares will be optional with breakout rooms of 3-4 people.

Q: Will Juan give me feedback on my songs?

A: Due to the class size, we cannot guarantee that you’ll get Juan's feedback on your songs. However, our teachers are active on our song sharing platform and may leave comments on students’ submissions.

Q: I can't make the lecture times for some (or all) of the classes. Can I still participate?

A: Yes! We send out the recordings of lectures at the end of each class day, so you can watch the lectures on your own time.

If after the first class you feel the course is not a good fit for any reason, you are welcome to a refund on the rest of the course classes. We are unable to process refunds after the second class.

Questions? Email us at hi@schoolofsong.org.