SummerSongs 2011

August 5th-11th, 2011

Weekend Cost: $449.00. Please note: price goes up to $499.00 after 5/31/11.

 Full Week Cost: $749.00 Please note: price goes up to $799.00 after 5/31/11

Plan to arrive by 3pm on Friday and leave at 12 noon the following Monday or Thursday

Ready to Register? YES!

Hi Everyone!

Calling all singer-songwriters! Join us at the beautiful Ashokan Center for the 12th anniversary SummerSongs songwriting camp and camper reunion where we'll again explore many aspects of songwriting, music, singing & the music business. Listen and learn from nationally known artists, attend workshops & concerts, network, perform, collaborate, swim, jam, and relax at a beautiful summer camp in the Catskill Mountains of New York...not to mention the best "camp food" you've ever had.

Classes will include songwriting, song arranging, performance/stagecraft, harmony singing, co-writing, guitar, keyboard, creative process and more, and you'll have many opportunities to share you music in song circles, coffeehouses, concerts, and feedback sessions. ALL levels are welcome! We had a great lineup in 2010 (see below) and as soon as we can confirm with the teachers, we will be posting our 2011 staff  we are looking forward to our last summer in the lower campus before the building of the fabulous new Ashokan which will be ready in 2012!!  Come and be with us for our final SummerSongs in the old campus and see old friends and make new ones! See you next summer in August!

• Cadence Carroll
• Mark Dann
• Penny Nichols
• David Roth
• Cosy Sheridan
• Sloan Wainwright
• Pat Wictor

Click on an instructor's name for a description of their classes.

Instructors & Classes

Cadence Carroll:

Introduction to African Percussion or African Percussion 101

Drumming is incredible! Many will attest to the fact that it is a healer of the body, mind and soul. For songwriters in the contemporary folk world it is also a wonderful way to connect with the music, write songs, and is a wonderful vehicle to accompany our fellow musicians in performance or just for fun. In Introduction to African Percusion group workshop, we will learn the basics and joy of African Percussion. I truly believe everyone has rhythm and all can reap the joy of connecting with the drummer inside. With a few basics under your belt, you can then adapt it to your own needs and musical styles.

Accompaniment for Singer/Songwriters

This is a class for all folks who enjoy making music with other people. If you are a percussionist, it’s an opportunity to take the fun of drumming one step further in the discussion and workshopping makes a good accompanist and what makes good accompaniment. I’ve spent much of my life trying to dispel the myth that the djembe can only be a loud solo instrument – on the contrary it is a wonderful accompaniment instrument for almost any style of music. This class is also an open workshop for anyone who wants to work on PLAYING WELL WITH OTHERS – not just on the drum but accompaniment with any instrument you can think of. Bring a friend – bring 2! We will work on arranging songs for performance at coffeehouse or anywhere. Learning to play respectfully with others is so important (and INSANE fun!)

Cadence's bio

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Mark Dann:

Demo Workshop

This class will cover what's involved in making a great sounding demo of your songs. Through discussion and demonstration, Mark will explain in a clear and simple manner the methods used to make recordings, how you can properly prepare before going into a studio and how to make the most out of your time once you're there. On day one, we will choose some of your songs to record in class On day two, we will overdub percussion, vocals, guitar parts, whatever we want, and do a quick mix and burn a CD. Whether you're heading into a studio to start your first record or if you would like to know how you can make recordings at home, you'll benefit greatly from this workshop!

Mark's bio

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Penny Nichols:

Vocal Recording Technique

Here's the workshop you have been waiting for! A chance to work with one of the most experienced vocal recording artists around in a real studio environment on one of your own songs! Learn all about how to give your best performance on a recording, how to communicate with the engineer/producer, how to stay on pitch, how to keep breathing, how to deal with anxiety in the studio, how to evaluate your performance, how to choose the best performance and how the recording process works. Plus you will leave the workshop with one of the best performances on a CD that you have ever done!

The Authentic Voice

What is unique about your voice?

Who is singing?

Do people listen to you when you sing?

These are questions that we will address in this class. You will be challenged to find the place in yourself where you can sing with absolute authority and conviction. We will be working on ways you can develop your voice to become the best singer you can be. Penny is an award winning, Grammy Nominated singer with many years of teaching experience and a passion for bringing out the best in the artists she works with. This is a master class and is limited to 10 students, so please contact Penny at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone at 845-247-7049 for evaluation and invitations to the class.

Harmony Singing with Pen & Glen

Glen Roethel and I will be creating Harmony Heaven with our class! Come and join us and learn how to stay on your part, be able to pick out your part and follow it throughout a song, how to stay on pitch and many other things in a fun and relaxed setting!

Penny's bio

David Roth:

GRAIN OF SALT (song support group)

Stuck somewhere in the middle? This is an interactive and participatory workshop for any songs or parts thereof that you might wish to have some input on. We'll hear these songs-in-progress and become a collective think-tank about what's working so far and what might be improved upon. It's also an opportunity to hone your listening and feedback-giving skills. as well as a chance to ponder all the elements that make a song click.

"Introduction to Alternate Guitar Tunings"

As solo singer/songwriter/guitarists we have an orchestra at our fingertips - six beautiful, bendable, and RETUNE-able strings! We'll start by changing one at a time and gain instant access to a road well traveled by the likes of Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, and more. We'll cover "drop-D", open D, DADGAD, open G, and throw in a few variations to spice up the sound soup along the way. And the good news is you don't have to be a guitar wizard to take this class, but it IS helpful if you know a few chords and play enough guitar to negotiate basic chord changes. We'll have fun doing this together, and you'll love finding new voicings to some of the standard chords you've been playing up til now.

"Ramp It UP!  Taking Your Performance to the Next Level"
with Sloan Wainwright and David Roth

No matter what your level of experience is as a performer, Sloan and David can take you higher.  Come to our "laboratory of highest aspirations" and join in a highly interactive, participatory, and exhilarating week with two "veterans of presentation", both noted as exceptional performers with completely different styles.  Imitation is not on the agenda (having fun in a safe, supportive, and stimulating way IS), but rather honing in on what makes YOU unique, interesting, and compelling the moment eyes are upon you.

David's bio

Sloan Wainwright

Singing with your heart, soul and body:

Singing is fun! Inside each of us lives a beautiful and unique instrument!

In this workshop, we will move our bodies, soften our hearts, open our mouths and let our voices out to play!

We will use a combination of vocal warm-ups and work-outs, to help relax and strengthen the voice...making it more flexible and reliable. Individual attention and support is offered to each person in class as well as for the group as a whole.

Creative Process:

Take the leap! Bring paper and pens and pencils! Bring a tape recorder! Bring your wonderful unique self and all your beautiful self - expression!

Together, we will create a safe environment to explore the process of creativity through writing. We will get our ideas flowing with the help of fun writing exercises and lively discussion. You will have the opportunity to break out of old writing habits and discover new territory in stalking the wild song.

Sloan's bio

Cosy Sheridan

SONGWRITING – A BALANCE OF CRAFT AND INSPIRATION

Writing two songs at the same time can make both songs stronger. Two songs help each other along. We might find a chord progression or an image for one song while working on the other; when we put down one song and pick up the other, we find a fresh perspective.

During this week we will write 2 songs: one will follow the rules of craft (rhyme, meter, melody) and the other will be completely free-form. Following the rules of craft can be a good way to start on the days when inspiration is flagging. A song that is completely free-form can be refreshing when you’re tired of a tight rhyming pattern.

We’ll look at various song forms that we can use as a template for our writing. And we’ll see what happens when we let it all go and let our imaginations run!

“THE RIGHT HAND DRIVES THE SONG”

- Right hand technique for guitar: The right hand is the engine: the left hand steers the car. If we have more than one strum or picking style, then we'll be able to sing and write our songs in more than one rhythm. In this workshop we will look at ways to add horsepower to our right hand. Do we notice a different tone when we lean in more with a flatpick strum? What if we use a heavier pick? What about a thumbpick? We'll look a right hand styles for travis picking, blues fingerpicking, a percussive singer/songwriter style fingerpick, playing Western Swing with a flatpick, and a straight driving boom-chuck.

Cosy's bio

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Pat Wictor

More Spice, Please!

Spicing up your guitar arrangements. Ever find your guitar playing the least interesting part of your song? I'll show you some simple tricks for spicing up the guitar playing in your songs. I'll also explain the musical concepts behind the techniques, so you can apply them in a variety of situations.I'll also show you a few simple practice techniques along the way for becoming a better - ie, more interesting and authoritative - guitar player, which will help when it comes to adding color and interest to your songs.

We'll do some hands-on practice together, and we'll work with individual songs.

Prerequisites: Familiarity with 1st position "cowboy chords," and a willingness to practice and stretch oneself.

Why Hang Around? There Are Places To Go!

Adding Harmonic Movement to your songs. Sometimes songs need a bit more chordal movement in order to create a greater emotional impact. I'll show you some approaches to making the chords move a bit more - ascending and descending bass lines and inverted chords, chord substitutions, and chromatic movement.

Prerequisites: An understanding of simple harmonic theory - triads (major and minor), and simple chord progressions (I - IV - V, vi-ii-V-I).

Pat's bio

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