Songwriting and Performing in your Authentic Voice
- Americana
- Bluegrass
- Country
- Folk
- Online Classes
- Roots
- Singer/Songwriter
**THIS IS AN ONLINE CLASS**
Fostering a committed and healthy relationship with our own creativity is a lifelong journey. In a culture obsessed with status and success, it is easy to devalue our own voices and question the worth of our creative endeavors. For me, creativity is a vital part of a healthy inner world and remaining steadfast in my work as a songwriter and performer means I must quiet the doubtful and cynical voices in my head. I must mindfully nurture all the seeds of inspiration that life offers on a daily basis. Being an artist requires an understanding of each of our unique tool belts and diligence to expand on our practice
The landscape of music and performance is infinitely vast and often overwhelming. The good news is there is no wrong approach. I would love to share some of the well-worn paths I’ve taken to become the musician and creative I am today.
“No one does you as good as you do” is a concept every creative must internalize. In this workshop, we will discover what makes our own voice unique and learn to bring that to our songwriting and performing. I will share strategies that have helped me find inspiration to start songs and the many varied ways I’ve worked to finish them. I will share the ways my approach to performing has changed and developed over the years and the ways I work to engage my audiences.
In this four-part workshop, we will encourage students to start brand new works or complete what they have already started. In the first session, i will share what strategies have worked for me and get deeper into my own tried and true techniques. I will offer some prompts and structure for brainstorming and writing. We will
Develop strategies to quiet the voices of doubt and follow our own creative truths. Throughout the sessions students will showcase their songs and song-seeds and receive feedback from myself and the group.
Week 1: What do you bring? What is your unique perspective?
Week 2: nuts and bolts. Strategies for lyric writing and form construction
Week 3: quiet the voices. Remove the blockages to creative flow in both songwriting and performance
Week 4: show and tell. we may do some showing before this session, but in the final class we will hear completed works and everyone will get the chance to share some or all of what they created.
This class will be held from 6:30-7:45pm ET on Tuesdays, July 29, Aug 5, 12, 19
Please note: The class will be held online.
Limited to students 18 yrs of age or older; Pre-sales are highly encouraged! Online sale ends 1 hour before the class begins. 4 students are required for this class to meet. If a class is cancelled due to low enrollment, you will be notified and receive a full refund.
Ali McGuirk
- Blues
- Singer/Songwriter
- Soul
Blending classic soul power with a folk songwriter lyricism, Ali McGuirk has the rare ability to silence a room with just a few words of a song. With a voice that is raw and sultry and a style rooted in improvisation, her sets are a hypnotic and intimate journey.
McGuirk’s debut album, Slow Burn, made rock critic Steve Morse’s “Top Ten albums of 2017” in the Boston Globe and earned her recognition as one of New England’s most compelling artists. Her latest single “That’s the Way I Feel About You” by Bobby Womack is out now and benefits the Sweet Relief Musicians’ Fund.
McGuirk relocated to Burlington, VT during the early stages of the global pandemic. She penned her newest album while living there. It’s currently scheduled for a summer 2022 release on Signature Sounds Recordings.
