Song Writing Workshop
with Colum Sands
Friday, 27th - Saturday, 28th April 2007

Workshop Director: Colum Sands
A member of the internationally renowned Sands Family from Co. Down, Colum established his reputation as a songwriter with the release of his first solo album, Unapproved Road in 1981. Songs like Whatever you say, say nothing, and Almost every circumstance were soon in the repertoire of artists from Billy Connolly to Maddy Prior and June Tabor. His second album The March Ditch inspired a special BBC television documentary. In March 2001 he joined Israeli storyteller Sharon Aviv for a tour of Israel, an itinerary which goes a long way to explaining the title of his critically acclaimed third album, All my winding journeys. After returning from his tour through Israel in 2003 it was time to finish his fourth album called: The Note that Lingers On.

His first book, Between the Earth and the Sky contains a combination of songs and stories which, to quote one critic, ‘…..view the world with balanced, non tribalistic humanity, breaking down all kinds of barriers and leaving behind an optimism and appreciation of the power of the human spirit over adversity’.

Introduction
In a year when performances take him from concert stages all over the world, Colum Sands takes time out much closer to home to host a songwriting workshop at the Patrick Kavanagh Centre in County Monaghan.

As might be expected from an admirer of Patrick Kavanagh’s writing, Colum is a believer in individual styles and, rather than use a “one size fits all” method, his workshop will take into consideration some of the many approaches to songwriting. This includes a brief look into the history of songs in society, their meaning and use in today’s world and the reasons and motivations for writing a song at any time.

In practical songwriting terms the workshop will cover basic aspects of songwriting, considerations before putting pen to paper, thoughts on matching lyrics to music and vice versa, and the idea of “framing and aiming” a song for a particular audience.

As a regular radio presenter of a weekly music programme on BBC Radio Ulster and experience in compiling and presenting programmes for RTE and BBC Radio 2, Colum is well placed to give advice on what to do when a song is written and his workshop will also give outline details on such matters as copyright and promotion and an information sheet giving important contact details which can be followed up by the individual participant.

This workshop is aimed primarily at writing but with a cv of studio production that includes work with artistes as diverse as Kieran Goss, the Sands Family and Joan Baez, Colum has a few stories and tips to share for the day when you decide to step up to the microphone and record that song for posterity!

Above all, the workshop, like Colum’s concerts, aims to bring a group of people together in an enjoyable and meaningful atmosphere of creativity and, regardless of your song writing experience, send you home with food for thought and an appetite for more.

Workshop Programme

Friday, 27th April 2007
7.30pm	Registration
8.00pm	“Wet Evening in April” Tribute evening to the late Gene Carroll, in the company of Colum Sands, former Bards of Armagh and many local artists.
Saturday, 28th April 2007
10.00am	Workshop 1
1.00pm	Lunch
2.00pm - 6.00pm	Workshop 2

Booking
Course Fee: €80. The price includes all tuition, full lunch and refreshments.
All payments should be made in Euro. A non-refundable deposit of €50 applies to all bookings accompanied by the booking form. Click here to download a booking form >>
Form opens in PDF format

Accommodation can be arranged in local quality B&B’s.
A separate charge will apply.

 

For further details please contact us at
Patrick Kavanagh Centre, Inniskeen, Co Monaghan
Tel: 042 9378560
Email: infoatpkc@eircom.net

 

<< back