UK Songwriting Festival

The UK Songwriting Festival is now in its fifth year. It’s a five-day event, held at Bath Spa University every August. Most of our visitors live on-site during the festival; there are formal or informal songwriting activities throughout the day and well into the evening.

Facilities

SWF students have access to our industry-standard facilities, including songwriting rooms, 5 recording studios and full-band rehearsal rooms (PA system, drums, keyboards, backline etc). You’ll be working in the inspiring atmosphere of our Newton Park grounds, landscaped by Capability Brown.

 

Curriculum

Daily lectures deal with the process of songwriting. Sessions may cover specific techniques (making lyrics singable, chorus construction, using imagery, melodic shaping, applying music theory, chord change frequencies, composing with guitar/keyboard) or more general writing tools (beating writer’s block, editing your material, avoiding plagiarism, using visuals as inspiration).

Practical workshops enable students to share their songs in a friendly, supportive small group atmosphere, guided by a tutor who is also an experienced songwriter.

House band sessions provide the opportunity for you to hear your own songs played by a professional session band.

  

Courses

There are two options available – SWF Workshop and SWF Studio. All participants will write one song per day under the guidance of SWF tutors, and will have opportunities to share their material in workshop groups. In addition, SWF Studio participants benefit from our recent £500,000 Pro Tools HD studio suite – funded by Bath Spa’s award of Centre of Excellence in Teaching & Learning (CETL) status.

   

SWF Workshop includes

Daily lectures on the craft of songwriting

Small group playback and critique sessions

Live band session

Acoustic live recording to take away on CD

SWF Studio includes

Daily lectures on the craft of songwriting

Small group playback and critique sessions

Acoustic live recording to take away on CD

Studio sessions with a professional producer

Access to the SWF studio session band (and vocalists if needed)

Studio recording to take away on CD

The week is flexible according to the needs of the participants, but we usually organise the playback sessions into experience-based groups (from complete beginner to pro musician) to ensure that everyone can proceed at their own pace. Ideally you should be able to accompany yourself on an instrument (or work with other students who play an instrument).

And everybody has to obey the Festival’s golden rule – write one song every day.

Songwriting Festival main site