{"product_id":"songwriting-workshop-with-madison-cunningham","title":"Songwriting Workshop with Madison Cunningham (August 2026)","description":"\u003c!-- course_description.html --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"course-description-block\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe’re thrilled to announce that Madison Cunningham will be teaching a workshop with School of Song, beginning Sunday, August 2nd.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this course, we’ll cover a range of topics, including:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStanding at the Foothills of a Song\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMadison will explore the fear that can gather around the beginning of a song, especially the desire for an exact roadmap before you’ve even started. Instead of trying to begin at the top of the mountain, we’ll look at how to begin from the foothills: the uncertain place where every writer, no matter how experienced, begins. Together, we’ll learn and remember how to trust the next available step and allow the song to reveal itself as we hike.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Lyric Graveyard\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe opening line of a song needs to hit, but not right away. Madison will talk about collecting stray images and phrases that feel charged, and how to hold them without demanding that they become useful too soon. We’ll explore the lyric graveyard as a place where old scraps, abandoned lines, and mysterious images wait to be resurrected by a new melody, a new perspective, or a song that finally knows what to do with them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIntuitive Harmony\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMadison will share her journey of grounding her relationship with harmony in intuition rather than theory. Together, we’ll explore how we can build trust with our instincts and be guided by our feelings as we navigate the songwriting process. Madison will walk us through how she uses open tunings as a way of staying lost during the writing process, creating space for discovery and welcoming the unexpected happy accidents that emerge along the way.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWriting Routines and Intentional Rest\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMadison will share the benefits she has discovered in bringing structure, routine, and intentional rest into her writing process. She’ll walk us through one particularly fruitful practice: alternating focused, uninterrupted periods of writing, using a timer to create a container for deep attention, with intentional periods of rest that allow the song to continue unfolding in the background of the unconscious. Through this rhythm of focused work and intentional rest, we’ll begin to appreciate how stepping away can often reveal possibilities that might be inaccessible through effort alone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMadison Cunningham is a GRAMMY award-winning artist and songwriter. She is known for her “wonderfully tangled imagery and cutting self-awareness” (NPR.) As a guitarist, Madison has pushed the boundaries of a conventional singer-songwriter as her “guitar work is both classic and wildly emotive, and her soaring vocals are pristine and inspired” (Consequence.) \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMadison’s latest record Ace (2025) builds off of the success of Revealer (2022), a darkly funny portrait of an artist that won Cunningham her GRAMMY for “Best Folk Album,” but it is a different record. A slow burn until it wasn’t. It follows a period of writer's block. On Revealer and her debut album Who Are You Now (2019), Cunningham says that she was writing songs about heartbreak, but they weren’t about her heartbreak. They were sketches, observations. Cunningham wanted Ace to be emotions first. Heartbreaking and lush and bold.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- course_logistics.html --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"course-logistics-block\"\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCourse Logistics\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWorkshop is taught over Zoom on the following dates:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLectures: Sundays August 2nd, 9th, 16th, and 23rd, 2026\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTwo options for lecture times: August 2nd is 11 AM – 1 PM PT or 6 PM – 8 PM PT; August 9th, 16th, and 23rd are 11 AM – 12 PM PT or 6 PM – 7 PM PT.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eQ\u0026amp;As: Wednesdays August 5th, 12th, and 19th, 2026 at 6 PM PT.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSong-Shares: Saturdays August 8th, 15th, and 22nd, 2026\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTwo options for song-shares: 11 AM – 12 PM PT and 6 PM – 7 PM PT.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you can't make the live class, you can still participate by watching the recordings of the lectures and Q\u0026amp;A sessions (sent out after class).\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSigning up with a friend + Gifting\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSeGIM6S8U4EahKeM9jnuc8B82uToUEP8nWovqblfnFF25XxuQ\/viewform?usp=sf_link\"\u003eSign up with a friend to receive a 20% discount by clicking here.\u003c\/a\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf 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. \u003cem\u003eNote:\u003c\/em\u003e no refunds on discounted orders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFAQ:\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eQ: What musical experience should I have?\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eA: People across all musical levels will be able to gain something from the course. \u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eQ: What if I've never written a song before? Can I still participate in this workshop?\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eA: 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.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eQ: Is there an enrollment cap?\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eA: Nope! This is a lecture-style class with open enrollment. The song shares will be optional with breakout rooms of 3-4 people.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eQ: Will Madison give me feedback on my songs?\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eA: Due to the class size, we cannot guarantee that you'll get Madison's feedback on your songs. However, our teachers are active on our song sharing platform and may leave comments on students' submissions.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eQ: I can't make the lecture times for some (or all) of the classes. Can I still participate?\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eA: 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.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003c\/dl\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eQuestions? Email us at \u003ca href=\"mailto:hi@schoolofsong.org\"\u003ehi@schoolofsong.org\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- refund_policy.html --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"School of Song","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46718649663687,"sku":"SW-MADISON-26","price":200.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0622\/0165\/9591\/files\/madison-cunningham-noah-torralba-square.jpg?v=1782942615","url":"https:\/\/schoolofsong.org\/products\/songwriting-workshop-with-madison-cunningham","provider":"School of Song","version":"1.0","type":"link"}