Songwriting Workshop with Buck Meek

Buck is back!!! Buck taught one of the earliest workshops at School of Song and we’re stoked out of our gourds to have him back with a new course. Here are some of the topics we’ll cover:

• Cowriting – By cultivating a collaborative environment built on trust, we can amplify our personal strengths in songwriting and add dimension and perspective to our songs that would not be achievable in isolation.
• Writing the naked truth – Everything you need is right there in front of you…but it can be hard to look it in the eye! Without even realizing it, we can often be pulled into writing what we “think” we should be writing about by unconsciously trying to meet our projected expectations of other people. By getting in the practice of stripping our writing to the bone, we can amplify the potency of our work and unearth the power of our personal experience.
• Unconditional vs. selfish Love – There are so many kinds of love and thus so many kinds of love songs. We will search to write the love song that feels most resonant to us by exploring our personal connections with loss, grieving, new love, old love, unconditional love, and selfish love.
• Weird progressions – Just throw a wrench in there and see what happens!! Sometimes you gotta pull some shenanigans to get outside your comfort zone. The result of which can often be revitalizing and lead us back to a feeling of fun, explorative, childlike wonder…not to mention it might even sound cool as heck!!
• Development of meaning – As life goes on, our relationship to seemingly static reference points evolves and holds more complexity. How can we achieve this same development of meaning by traveling in verses and returning home with an expanded perspective in the choruses?

You'll write 4 original songs using the techniques and perspectives Buck presents in lecture.

Sign up now! Deadline is Saturday, April 20 at 11:59pm (PT).

Here's how it works:

• Workshop is taught over Zoom on the following dates:
  • Lectures: April 21st, 28th, May 5th and 12th (Sundays)
  • Q&As: April 23rd, April 30th, May 7th (Tuesdays)
  • Song-Shares: April 27th, May 4th and 11th (Saturday)
• There are 2 options for lecture times: 11a-12p and 6p-7p PT. Q&A is at 6p PT. Song-share options are 11a, 3p and 6p PT. On the first day of class, there will be an bonus hour for both lecture times, so they'll start an hour early (10a and 5p respectively).
• If you can't make the live class, you can still participate by watching the recordings of lecture (sent out after class).

Sign up with a friend to receive a 20% discount by clicking here. Note: no refunds on discounted orders.

Here's a few words from Buck about the course:

“Our lives are made of an endless myriad of unfinished stories, of every encounter of billions of people at the center of thousands of years in each direction. The telling is secondary. Sometimes when you half-hear something spoken, something unspoken inside the words is revealed. Your mind fills in the blank, finishes the sentence, infers meaning - though you still can't fully explain it. Have you felt in awe of the vastness within another? Love feels too big to comprehend, like death, or life after death, or space.

Songwriting is one attempt to contain this. To imbue the projected meaning of words with the laws of time and physics. Songwriting can be a vessel for empathy - for me it is a reminder to tell the truth, a reminder to listen, to step out of my own way. A song is the result of time and attention and letting go." - Buck Meek

FAQ:

Q: What musical experience should I have?

A: People across all musical levels will be able to gain something from the course. However, it will be helpful to be comfortable playing a few basic chords on any instrument of your choice.

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. 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: Will Buck give me feedback on my songs?

A: Due to the class size, we cannot guarantee that you’ll get Buck'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 lecture 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.