songwriting and self-trust - creative support for your practice
My next course offerings are seasonal variations on Song Circle, a six-week online songwriting course.
Now booking:
Spring ~ UK mornings 10-12 on Tuesdays from May 14th ~ Theme: Reawaken
Summer ~ UK evenings 730-930 on Thursdays from June 20th ~ Theme: Manifest/ Songs as Wishes
Song circle: Online songwriting course, open to all
What is Song Circle?
Song Circle is a six-week course - and a safe and joyous space to open up your songwriting process, overcome creative blocks, and touch in with your artistic identity.
This small group of up to eight participants offers an intimate, safe setting in which to open up your creative flow and share a love of songwriting and composition.
How will we go about doing this?
Through the magic of Zoom! The group meets weekly online for two hours. We’ll work on things like making time for your creativity, overcoming blocks, expressing yourself authentically, and having actual fun.
Across the six weeks, we also share an online space to communicate between meetings, share demos and feedback, and occasionally a photo of Leonard Cohen in shorts.
But…I need more experience, don’t I?
Song Circle is open to all levels of experience - you don’t have to be a full-time musician, or even play an instrument! There are songwriters at every stage of their journey on this course - some have released albums, some have just begun writing. The meetings are designed around the needs of everyone in the group, with all of our individual dreams and creative identities in mind.
How much time should I expect to spend between meetings?
It’s entirely up to you. We always have prompts to bring home, but there is no expectation. The one homework I always set is to be kind to yourself across this course (and beyond). I believe that self-kindness is the fundamental tool for songwriting, and the only one I insist on honing, so we can make space for our songs to exist and thrive.
As a parent with multiple plates in the air, I have an interest in folding songwriting into the rhythms of my days. As a community, we will support each other to give what we can, and celebrate the ways creativity expresses itself in our unique day-to-day! Build songwriting and creativity into your routine in a way that feels sustainable to you!
No tech required (except Zoom!).
Email emmythegreat at gmail.com to join, request financial support or enquire about future courses
Or book your place directly
Spring ~ UK mornings 10-12 on Tuesdays from May 14th ~ Theme: Reawaken
Summer ~ UK evenings 730-930 on Thursdays from June 20th ~ Theme: Manifest/ Songs as Wishes
“I can’t thank you enough for the past weeks, it came at the exact right time for me and has given me such a boost that I really needed. I feel so much more confident now to run with ideas instead of second-guessing and judging them before they ever have the chance to grow. I’ve felt a new kind of freedom thanks to this course that I’m going to try very hard to stay connected with!” - Georgia, Walthamstow
“Emmy's workshop is a wonderfully intimate and supportive environment that helped me build confidence in my own songwriting. There were opportunities to share ideas, techniques, hopes, anxieties and fears with a group of like-minded creative songwriters. Each session was built around the needs and wants of the individuals in the group which allowed the focus to flow in the direction of what we found most useful. It's like a support group for songwriters!" - Nathan, Walthamstow
“Taking Emma’s course is of the best decisions I’ve made – sign up to be connected with fellow songwriters and challenged in the best way.” - Eden, North London
“The best thing I have done with my life, creatively.” - James, Helsinki (feedback on private tuition experience)
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Course structure:
Each course takes place over six weeks, in the form of five group meetings on Zoom, one individual creative coaching session with Emmy, and exercises to complete in your own time.
In the meetings, we will share guided discussions, and work on prompts and exercises. There are song assignments, and your level of engagement and time commitment between meetings is up to you.
In our forty-minute individual coaching session, we check in on course progress, and discuss all things related to your creativity, goals and dreams. This takes place at a mutually agreed time during the six weeks.
Group members have access to a shared online space in which we can swap snippets, ideas, thoughts and songs in between sessions. In this space, we will offer non-judgmental feedback on each other’s songs, as well as sharing our responses to assignments.
The community continues beyond the course, with opportunities to meet songwriters from other groups in mingles and workshops.
About Emmy:
I’ve been a singer-songwriter for almost twenty years, after writing my first songs while studying commercial music at University of Westminster.
In my career, I’ve written songs for my own albums and soundtracks, as well as helping other artists from all over the pop spectrum realise their own songs. I’ve also worked with young people and incarcerated women to develop their innate songwriting skills.
I’ve learned that songwriting is a tool for everyone, and everybody has the ability to write songs. It’s a creative practice and art form that can help us communicate, tell stories, even process our own emotional worlds. It’s a friend, and, like exercise, it’s a practice that can be built into our everyday lives.
Lots of people feel blocks in their songwriting journey - I definitely have! Having experienced so much self-criticism, I love helping people get to know their own blocks, and in doing so overcome them. I love hearing songs in the intimate early stages of composition, and watching them grow! I passionately believe in creative agency, and our own power to tap into the magic flow of our ideas and shape in a way that makes us happier, stronger people.
Email emmycontact at gmail.com to join a songwriting course or enquire about future courses
Or book your place directly at www.emmythegreat.com/shop
Credit: Glenn Bollard