After my trip to Nashville, for the Song Camp 201 in May 2007, I began voice lessons with Ron Browning. He is a vocal coach who was, at the time, also a teacher at the Nashville Jazz Workshop. In June, he was going to be on the faculty at the Blue Ridge Song Camp. Although I had only had four lessons with Ron, I already deeply respected his opinions and advice. He urged me to attend.
Song Camp 201 was offered May 20-22, 2007 and I decided to attend. It was limited to forty-two people and offered six song critique sessions. The faculty for Song Camp 201 was Walt Aldridge, Rick Beresford, Craig Carothers, Don Henry, James Dean Hicks, Ralph Murphy, and Hugh Prestwood.
I drove to Nashville on Thursday, March 29, 2007 for the NSAI Songwriter Symposium. The night before I left, I read my pastor’s sermon from the previous Sunday about providence. It convinced me to be on the lookout for providence during my trip—and assume that everything that happened and everyone I met was providential. That idea changed how I perceived the people and events around me.
When I arrived at NSAI Song Camp 101 I was eager to learn. I took pages and pages of notes. The following information from those notes captures tidbits of advice and inspiration from these wonderful teachers. Even though some of the information is specifically about songwriting, it also is helpful for anyone wanting to learn how to adapt a creative mindset.
I left for Nashville Saturday, February 17, 2007 about midday. For the song camp we were told to bring three songs for critiques but, I had five songs on my CD because I wasn’t sure which ones I wanted to share. As I got to the north side of Birmingham I slid the CD into the player and listened intently.
Being around other songwriters, having classes with pro writers, and hearing live music in classes and concerts was life-changing. Some of the best advice I received was when someone told me, “The only one who’s seen the world through my eyes is me. That is special and unique.”
On the night of November 24, 2006 I decided to become a songwriter. I wrote the word “songwriting” and the date on a sticky note and put it by my computer as a constant reminder. So, I want to be a songwriter. Now What?
On the night of November 24, 2006, for some reason, I decided to become a songwriter. I suppose there were many events leading to that moment, but I had not put them together until that night. At 11:26 p.m. I emailed a friend and told him my crazy idea. I thought if I really told someone—that would make me accountable and compel me to follow through with this decision.
I am a classically trained musician with a degree in organ performance and a master’s degree in music composition. I have spent my life as a church musician. In 2006 I decided to try songwriting. It has been the most wonderful adventure of my life.
The idea behind the phrase is to take small steps with an eye toward a bigger goal. I like the phrase because simply taking one small step seems easy. The problem usually occurs in actually continuing to take baby steps. I tend to want everything now.
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