The 2008 Festival is now over. Please check out the SWF blog for photos, songs, posts and more.
http://uksongwritingfestival.vox.com/
The 2008 festival dates were 18-22 August 2008. If you want critiques of your material, please join us online at the songwriters' forum .
The UK Songwriting Festival is now in its sixth year. It's a week-long residential event, held at Bath Spa University every August.Most of our visitors live on-site during the festival; there are formal or informal songwriting activities throughout the day and well into the evening.
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Facilities
SWF students have access to our industry-standard facilities, including songwriting
rooms, 5 recording studios and full-band rehearsal rooms (PA system, drums,
keyboards, backline etc). You'll be working in the inspiring atmosphere of our
Newton Park grounds, landscaped by Capability Brown.
Curriculum
Daily lectures deal with the process of songwriting. Sessions may cover specific
techniques (making lyrics singable, chorus construction, using imagery, melodic
shaping, applying music theory, chord change frequencies, composing with guitar/keyboard)
or more general writing tools (beating writer's block, editing your material,
avoiding plagiarism, using visuals as inspiration). Practical workshops enable
students to share their songs in a friendly, supportive small group atmosphere,
guided by a tutor who is also an experienced songwriter. Guest speakers from
the music industry discuss their own perspective on the craft of songwriting.
House band sessions provide the opportunity for you to hear your own songs played
by a professional session band.
Tutors
All of our tutors are professional musicians and songwriters, and many of them teach songwriting on Bath Spa's nationally-respected Commercial Music degree programme . The tutors have extensive experience and knowledge of copyright and the music industry, and will be happy to answer any questions you may have about these areas.
Tutors' biogs
Accommodation and catering - see FAQ