CityFolk Program “What’s in the Song” underway in Chelsea

The inaugural year of WITS has begun in Chelsea, Quebec with Juno award winning songwriter and playwright Ian Tamblyn at the helm. A cozy group of 8 aspiring writers will be working with Ian over the next 10 weeks with the goal of taking part in a coffee house style presentation for friends and family in early April.

About The Program

The program invites young musicians, songwriters and poets between the ages of 12-18 to gather in small groups to work on the craft of songwriting. A professional and established local songwriter will be the mentor for the duration of the class.

Over ten weeks, each hour and a half long session will be broken up into: 

a) listening to and analyzing the forms and structure of songs, old and new

b) overview of basic chord forms and musical key concepts

c) group writing and techniques for idea development

d) individuals will bring in ideas for friendly feedback from the mentor and group.

The goal is to create at least two complete songs each which will either be performed by the individual, group, or the mentor at a community coffee house near the end of the program. Participants who successfully complete the program will also receive 2 passes to the 2019 CityFolk festival as well as a performance opportunity at CityFolk (TBD), and a possible bonus coffee house performance at RBC Bluesfest (TBD). 

This program is intended not just for performing musicians, but also for those students who like the idea of writing for the fun of it and possibly having other people perform their work on stage. Songwriting is a viable art form and career path now offered in Universities and community colleges across North America.