In September 2004, a holiday gathering of songwriters and musicians turned into an annual event. It was Labor Day weekend and long-time member Bob Wood hosted our first of many songwriter picnics. I’ve since dubbed that event “Bob Wood-Stock.” Since then, we moved the date to July 4th weekend due to other commitments we've had on Labor Day weekend.

Now is the time to mark your calendars! On Saturday, June 30th, Songwriter Summit will host what I like to call “The 

One question I get on a regular basis is along the lines of “What are your meetings like?” My initial answer is usually “Fun.” Then it gets complicated. 

When Songwriter Summit gets together we do so for a couple of important reasons. Primarily we gather to share songs we’ve created or ones that we’re working on. It’s in that sharing that the strength of the group shows itself. 

Our members - and the assorted other folks who make their way to our meetings - cover a wide gamut of both talent and interest in songwriting. We range from novices just getting started in the craft to folks who have been at this a long time and have honed their skills over decades of playing and performing. The one thing we share is our commitment to the craft. 

That commitment shows itself in the respect we show to those who choose to bring a song to the meeting as well as the care we demonstrate in the critique we might offer on a particular melodic line or a special turn of a phrase. Because we have all experienced the feeling of uncertainty that goes with bringing a new song to an audience we know to be careful in how we approach our commentary because it is our goal as an organization to help those who wish to hone their skills to do just that in an atmosphere that is supportive, productive and protective. 

Recently I found an article that suggested how a writer might deal with comments made about their songs. Mostly it deals with how to deal with negative comments and the advice is pretty sound. But my experience sitting in on many, many sessions with Songwriter Summit is that even negative comments are gently

presented and invariably come with a suggestion on how to make the song better.

Of course, the very cool part is that comments and suggestions don’t need to be taken to heart and not a single word or phrase needs to be changed based on how someone reacts to a given tune. On occasion those suggestions have resulted in a writer coming back having incorporated the essence of what she’s heard and presenting the changes in a new and updated song. More often the comments are taken with a grain of salt and end up in the margin notes of the lyric sheet. Both of those extremes - and everything in between - is okay and part of our process.

If you’re interested in the article you can find it here.

The bottom line is that our meetings are a crucible for the creative spirit that you can tap into just by showing up. Bring a song. Or not. Make a comment. Or not. You might, however, be surprised that exposing yourself to our little creative experiment will have a positive impact on your creative life.

We’d love to see you at our next get-together.