Songwriting with Laura Marling (March '25)

We’re honored to welcome Laura Marling to School of Song for her upcoming songwriting workshop starting March 23rd, 2025. In this course, she’ll guide students through the fundamental and often elusive elements that shape her songwriting practice. We’ll approach songwriting not just as a practice, but as a revelatory tool for self-reflection.

A selection of topics we’ll cover:

• Finding the Spine of a Song: We will explore how starting from the “spine” of a song can shape the writing process. We’ll examine how finding the core harmonic structures of a song provides a base of support for all of the song’s limbs and extremities, and how to develop unique progressions that anchor a song while allowing creative freedom.
• Perspective & Character in Songwriting: What voices and perspectives are we drawn to in our writing? We’ll explore writing from different perspectives via imagined characters or deeply personal reflections and we’ll reflect on the points of view we may already gravitate towards regularly. By examining how great songwriters like Dolly Parton and Townes Van Zandt write from specific perspectives that still resonate universally, we’ll look at how refining our artistic voice can enhance our own storytelling.
• Nourishing Lyrical Curiosity: Culture, Language, & Literature: What happens when we treat non-musical habits as part of the songwriting process? Laura’s love of literature, paintings, mythology, and committing to practices that nourish curiosity have shaped the stories told in her songs. We’ll explore how these external influences can shape lyrical themes.
• Arranging as a Solo Artist: We’ll discuss what arrangement techniques we have available as solo artists in a home recording setting, including how to use vocal arrangements to enhance emotion, and how to craft arrangements that serve the song’s deepest message.
• Keeping the Guitar Fresh: We’ll look at how alternate tunings, fingerpicking styles, and chord inversions can reveal new melodies, and how even subtle shifts in technique can lead to groundbreaking discoveries.
• Songwriting as Self-Reflection Through Life’s Changing Seasons: Songwriting is more than a craft—it can be a form of self-discovery and reflection, functions as an accompaniment to life, and evolves alongside our experiences. Laura will share her experiences of balancing creativity with the demands of parenthood and other life commitments, adapting songwriting practices to fit changing routines, and finding inspiration in everyday moments.

Throughout the course, students will gain access to voice memos, early drafts, and behind-the-scenes insights into the songwriting process, offering a rare look at how songs evolve from idea to completion.

By the end of this workshop, students will walk away with new songs, fresh perspectives on their creative process, and a deeper understanding of how to shape and refine their work. Join us for an intimate and inspiring journey into the craft of songwriting with Laura Marling.