SaskMusic

January 29-31, 2016
Cedar Lodge Hotel and Convention Centre, Dundurn SK

Submissions are now closed due to reaching capacity. Thank you! 
 

“THERE ARE NO RULES IN SONGWRITING - but there are tools that can help you achieve your goals. There are reasons why certain melodies stick in your head – and why some lyrics resonate with millions of listeners. It doesn’t happen by magic, luck, or coincidence. There are “common denominators” that occur over and over again in successful songs – songs that touch the hearts of audiences. I’ve examined those elements that seem to recur in great songs in every genre. By incorporating these tools into our own songs we can express ourselves in such a way that our listeners feel what we intended – and that kind of communication is the essence of great songwriting.  It doesn’t matter what you feel – if the listener doesn’t get it.”  - Jason Blume 

SaskMusic is pleased to present our fourth songwriting masterclass: three days of intensive, hands-on workshops and interaction with two incredible songwriters at the beautiful Cedar Lodge Hotel and Convention Centre, near Saskatoon. 

Here’s what we hope songwriters will gain from this event:

• A nurturing environment that will allow you to explore your passion for songwriting;
• A set of skills that will help you to write stronger songs - ones that make an emotional connection with listeners;
• Business knowledge about how to generate or increase your income through songwriting;
• A stronger peer group and new connections. 

We’ll be covering a comprehensive range of material including practical exercises, revenue streams, pitching and legal issues. Participants will be together for sessions, co-writing, meals and performances.

Our mission is to produce songwriters who write better songs, and who have the confidence and knowledge to get those songs into the marketplace.

We are delighted to be bringing back Jason Blume, hit songwriter and teacher extraordinaire (based in Nashville TN and Kauai Hawaii) to guide us for the weekend. Blume literally wrote the book on songwriting (3 best-selling ones, in fact). Today we are pleased to announce that joining Jason will be Toronto-based Michael Phillip Wojewoda, multiple JUNO Award and Polaris Prize winning record producer and engineer. Together, the two leaders will bring their unique experience, strengths and teaching styles to inform and inspire.

This weekend will appeal to those who are serious about songwriting; who are already pitching or recording songs but want to have better results; who want to get better at their craft; and who want to network with others who are passionate about songwriting. 

This event is oriented to intermediate to advanced songwriters. Applicants will be juried to determine their suitability to attend, and space will be limited to less than 40 participants. 

For this event, we are splitting the weekend into two segments. Day 1 (January 29) will feature seminars on writing tools and co-writing techniques. Days 2 and 3 will delve more deeply into advanced songwriting, and business aspects of writing. While all registrants have the option to participate in all 3 days, more advanced writers (and those who have attended our previous masterclasses) may opt out of day 1.   

Sample of weekend topics:

• Writing Melodies Publishers & Labels Want - and Listeners Can’t Forget
• Secrets to Successful Demos
• Lyric-Focusing Technique
• Using Action, Imagery, and Detail
• Effective Song Structures & Rhymes
• How to Find Great Ideas and Titles
• Common denominators of successful songs
• How & Why to Get a Publisher
• Global income/marketing
• TV/film placements
• Constructive critiques of participants’ songs
• Guided co-writing exercises

Schedule

(A detailed final schedule will be provided to accepted registrants.) 
Fri, Jan 29: Songwriting Concepts with Jason Blume
8:30am:     Arrival, check-in for day 1 participants
9:30am-5:00pm: Workshops
7:00-10:00pm: Breakout Critiques 
10:00-11:00pm: Pass-The-Guitar

Sat, Jan 30: Advanced Songwriting & Business with Jason Blume & Michael Phillip Wojewoda
8:30 am: Arrival, registration for day 2-3 participants
9:30am-5:00pm: Workshops
7:00-10:00pm: Breakout Critiques, Set 2  
10:00-11:00pm: Pass-The-Guitar

Sun, Jan 31: Advanced Songwriting & Business with Jason Blume & Michael Phillip Wojewoda
9:00-12:00pm: Workshops
1:00-5:00pm: Guided co-writing breakouts 

 

The Facility: Cedar Lodge

This perfectly Saskatchewan hotel is simple and clean with a certain rustic charm. The tranquil setting, off-the-beaten path, is a great choice for a private, focused experience. All meals and snacks are included (and the food and staff are excellent)!

Surrounded by 75 acres of beauty overlooking Blackstrap Lake, a wraparound cedar deck offers views of the lake, rolling landscapes and miles of Saskatchewan farmlands. (Detailed directions will be provided to registrants.)

Participants will be assigned two to a room in order to keep registration costs reasonable; however, you may upgrade to a private room for an additional cost. We encourage all participants (including those residing in Saskatoon) to stay with us at Cedar Lodge to truly have a “retreat experience.”  However, if you wish to make alternate arrangements, please contact us to discuss.

All rooms are set up similar to a hotel, with the exception of TVs and phones. We encourage you take advantage of this opportunity to “disconnect” as much as possible and immerse yourself in writing. 

What to Bring 

• writing instruments/paper for taking notes and songwriting;
• at least one song with 3 copies of printed lyrics for critique segments (or your song on CD if you don’t wish to perform it live);
• acoustic guitar if you play (we’ll also provide keyboards);
• personal effects, as if staying in a hotel.

Registration

Submissions are now closed due to reaching capacity. Thank you! 

This event is for intermediate to advanced songwriters. Applicants will be juried to determine their suitability to attend.  

Your registration fee includes all meals and snacks (Friday x 3, Saturday x 3, Sunday x 2), as well as shared accommodations for Friday and Saturday nights. Please note: Participants travelling more than 200km to attend will be offered accommodation and supper for Thursday night as well.) 

• $249.00 SaskMusic members
• $299.00 Non-members (includes membership)

Add $110.00 if you wish to upgrade to private accommodations.

For More Information: 
Lorena Kelly, SaskMusic
306-347-0676 (toll-free in Sask: 1-800-347-0676)

 

Comments from our previous masterclasses:

“I’ve been to many of these sorts of workshops and this was the best by far. Where else can you get access to the top JUNO-winning music producer in the country, and the top songwriting teacher in the world in the same place? Great people, great venue and a totally fabulous experience." 
- Doug Sylvester, professional songwriter

“This retreat was not only about learning how to write better songs, it gave me a whole new perspective on the music industry and provided me with some wonderful business tools. What a great opportunity to learn from, play music with and network with two of North America’s most well-respected songwriters. It exceeded my expectations and was more than well-worth the investment. “
- Kim Fontaine, songwriter/instructor

“Once we started getting into the business of songwriting, I knew that I had made the right decision to attend. Since the weekend I have had 2 songs published already and I am happy to start putting some of the other knowledge to work in the near future. Excellent talent, advice and promise for the future of the industry.”
- Jared Robinson, songwriter/producer/studio owner, Nebulous Entertainment 

 

About Jason Blume

“Not only is he a talented songwriter, but Jason also has an incredible gift for teaching.”
- Mark Mason, Director of Writer/Publisher Relations, BMI

Jason Blume’s songs are on Grammy-nominated albums and have sold more than 50,000,000 copies. One of only a few writers to ever have songs on the pop, country, and R&B charts all at the same time, his songs have been recorded by diverse artists including Britney Spears, the Gipsy Kings, the Backstreet Boys, Jesse McCartney, Radio Disney star Matt Johnson, the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, Scandinavian star Christian Ingebrigtsen, Japanese superstar Tomohisa Yamashita, indie rockers “Escape from Earth,” and country stars including Collin Raye (5 cuts), the Oak Ridge Boys, and John Berry (“Change My Mind,” a top 5 single that earned a BMI “Million-Aire” Award for garnering more than one million airplays). In the past two years, three of his songs have been top-10 singles and Gold records, and he was thrilled to have a song on the #2 selling album in the world. His latest cut by group Hey Violet (August 2015) debuted on the iTunes top-10 in 22 countries, #1 in 5 countries; and #2 overall worldwide. Blume has been fortunate to earn his living as a songwriter for the past 25 years, including 12 years as a staff-writer on Nashville’s Music Row. 

His songs have been included in films and Emmy-Award-winning television shows including Scrubs, Friday Night Lights, Disney’s Kim Possible and First Kid, MTV’s Next Thing and Taking the Stage, MVP, Barbie of Swan Lake, Dangerous Minds, Kickin’ it Old Skool, Fame, The Guiding Light, The Miss America Pageant, and many more. 

One of the world’s most respected songwriting teachers and speakers, Blume developed and has been teaching the BMI Nashville Songwriters Workshops for the past 19 years. His lessons are used by Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) chapters throughout the U.S. and internationally, and his three best-selling books are required texts at universities and music programs throughout the world: 6 Steps to Songwriting Success: The Comprehensive Guide to Writing and Marketing Hit Songs; Inside Songwriting: Getting to the Heart of Creativity, and This Business of Songwriting (all published by Billboard Books). 
Blume has presented workshops, keynotes, and masterclasses throughout the world including: Dublin (IMRO), Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, New Zealand, Norway (GramArt), the U.K., Australia, Northern Ireland, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Norway, Jamaica, Bermuda, REO Songwriting Retreat (Canada), Toronto (Songwriter’s Association Canada), and many more. 

Teaching is Blume’s passion; he says, “I can’t guarantee you success; anyone who does is a scammer. But I can guarantee that I can help you develop, shine, and hone the gift you’ve been given, and I can help you learn to write the best songs you are capable of.”

“Author/songwriter Jason Blume has produced one of the most comprehensive, no-nonsense, true-to-life guides for understanding and succeeding in the highly competitive world of professional songwriting and music publishing. For anyone seriously considering a career in professional songwriting, This Business of Songwriting is ‘the quintessential resource’ you don’t want to be without.”
- Kirk Boyer, Director, A&R, Disney’s Lyric Street Records

About Michael Phillip Wojewoda

34 year veteran music producer Michael Phillip Wojewoda has been behind the boards for projects by internationally renowned metal legends, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, a multimillion-selling pop band, folkie jazz singers, hip-hop artists, neo-electro club music, roots rock bands, and planetarium pop with guest spots from Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson.

Recent albums for 2015 include the legendary Buffy Sainte-Marie whose Power in the Blood album has been short listed for this years Polaris Prize.  International opera star Measha Brueggergosman pop cross over album for Warner Canada and the 2015 Juno nominated Amelia Curran album, They Promised You Mercy.

For anyone else, this eclecticism might appear scattershot, but the legions of artists who are drawn to work with Wojewoda do so for the intricacies of his sonic tapestry, his comfort with both the raw and the refined, and his ability to encourage even the most experienced artists to push themselves to new pinnacles.

That’s why a pop band like the Barenaked Ladies—who entrusted Wojewoda to helm their Diamond-selling major label debut in 1991—have returned to him again and again. Highlights include producing and mixing the theme song to the hit television show The Big Bang Theory, their American breakthrough Rock Spectacle, and the Platinum children’s album Snack Time. It’s also why a veteran metal band like ANVIL sought out Wojewoda to record new material to capitalize on the hit documentary that vaulted them back into the public eye in 2008. Meanwhile, Wojewoda continues to shepherd a new generation of talent by helping them realize recordings that capture them beyond their best.

Wojewoda cut his teeth in the fertile Toronto underground scene of the 1980s, where his efforts put him behind the boards for a diverse array of landmark albums. These included the raw hip-hop-infused jazz of the Shuffle Demons (Streetniks, 1987), the pioneering riot grrl punk of Fifth Column (To Sir With Hate, 1986), the noise rock of Nomind (Tales of Ordinary Madness, 1988), the punk pop of Montreal’s Doughboys (Happy Accidents, 1990), the jangle pop of the Plastercene Replicas (Glow, 1988), and the arty prog-punk of Queen St. staples Change of Heart. His work with the latter culminated with the 1992 epic Smile, a sprawling 74-minute opus that was recorded live to DAT with a 17-piece band in only three days. Smile has since entered the canon of Canadian rock, influencing everyone from The Tragically Hip to countless younger bands.

Since those early years Wojewoda’s catalog includes producing and mixing recordings for such luminaries as Mary Margaret O’Hara, Jeff Healey, Luke Doucet, Mellissa McClellend, Sloan, Great Big Sea, Spirit of the West, Jane Siberry and k.d. lang.

Wojewoda has produced/engineered/mixed over 132 albums and the list is still growing. View his discography for details. Michael is also an accomplished musician and composer, scoring for several television and media design projects. He was a member of the Rheostatics from 2000 to 2007, as well as producing their quintessential albums Melville and Whale Music.

Finally, he is an avid world traveler who in 2013 completed a solo motorcycle trip from Toronto, Canada to the southern tip of Argentina, a journey of 14 countries over 5 months. Check the blog post from November 2012 for details.