Joe Jencks

Caffe Lena School of Music: Songwriting as Journalism:

Singing stories of the present and past, with clarity and integrity.

March 1, 8, 15, 22 2022

7pm ET / 6pm CT / 5pm MT / 4pm PT $165

Part of the reason we still remember and talk about the Plane Wreck at Los Gatos (Deportee), or the Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald, is because someone bothered to document those stories in song. This class will look at historic and modern songwriting as a form of journalism, considering how we merge artistic narrative and factual integrity in our process. Some stories are just more personal than others. And because we have our own experience of an event - objectivity is not always possible, but clarity of process is. And still, words are only half of the story.

We will also explore how a well-considered composition of melody and chord progressions help us more effectively tell memorable and musically engaged tales. Students are encouraged to bring a story they want to tell, a news article, or personal experience they wish to examine – past or present. Anticipate a well-rounded and enthusiastic participatory exploration of creative process, diving deep into the wonders of good narrative and songwriting.