Write Your Song!: Blog

What is a "Write Your Song!" workshop by Jena - you ask?  Well, It starts with my belief (Jena here) that we all have a song to contribute to the earth's choir!  Our story needs to be told and one of the best and most honest ways to tell a story is in a song! And if you were to write one song it is my hope that it is a song you'd want to share with the world.  What is your song?  So much of what I want to do in my workshops are to help you feel the need to write a song when you don't have any idea as to why you have to write but you do.  Rather than to act on anything, it is better to reflect and to write a song.

When I am inspired to write because of a feeling, I usually start with some questions like, "Why am so sad or happy?  What is it that I am really feeling?  How can I let go of this feeling or keep it going? Where do I begin to forgive and forget or where do I begin to share the love that I am feeling?  These are just a few examples of what I might be asking myself when I feel the need to write.  Sometimes I write just to put things into perspective like when a good friend passes away.  I may want to honor them by writing a song about them.   Like when I wrote, "Doolin County Claire" for Pat Miliken and "Things that you bring" for Kenny Edwards.  They now live on in my songs!

I do a lot of visualization when I write because I am a visual person.  I know huh?  I person who lives and works  in an audio world and yet I have to see and describe what I have always written. I write what I am feeling by looking at the moment and describing it.  Songs are like any written work you need a who, what, where when and why.  What,when,why and where is your song?

Well.... why don't you find out by writing it!  Sure, it doesn't happen over night but I can tell you first hand that songwriting helped me evolve emotionally.   Now when I write a song I can look for what emotions are best for the story of the song.   Pinpointing or revealing what you are feeling is the first step to relieving it and letting it go.  This is what is so great about songwriting for therapy!  And it's addictive!  Songwriting is fun!

Here is an exercise that I included it in my book, Change The World- Write Your Song!

1. Start by writing all the words you can think of to describe your feelings on the left hand side of a blank notebook.

2. On the right hand side of your notebook, write the opposite of what you are feeling!  Use a thesaurus.

3. Now within all the words that you have choosen there is a story.  Write it.  Allow the opposing feelings guide you  when writing the song, your song!

Songwriting for therapy is not new.  The concept of writing (of any kind) is to pinpointed your feelings so that you can change them if you want to.  In life our emotions rise and fall with every minute.  The emotions that you write in this song should change and evolve too.  Most people like it when a persons character in the story grows.  This also makes for contrast and great story telling.  These apposing emotions  that you've put into words and music will help you heal faster too.  And you'll have all the tools you will need to continue healing and growing emotionally.

After you've done this exercise you'll learn that there are so many words to describe the emotions you are feeling and that each word you choose has an opposing partner.  When we limit ourselves to generic terms or words use in other people's stories we are limiting our own growth.  When we use words that decribe our own emotions we are excepting it and learning how to change it. It's a road map to our emotions!  So "Write Your Song!"

Songwriters put themselves out there.  And you can tell when someone is intertwing their story to you through song.  I use this term a lot in  my book, "organic and real" music.  It just means this.  It has a personal feel to it.  We have to write from what we know and because we're always growing and learning sometimes what we know will change!  Trying to describe ourselves is no easy task because sometimes there are no easy answers.   There are many shades of anger and fear for what one is feeling .  We're  complicated creatures.  At least I am.

Sometimes it is hard enough to understand yourself let alone telling someone about it.  Songwriting helps you to clerify the emotions you are feeling.  Then you can write your healing song!  Songs that come from that passion, emotion, feelings are the best but also to remember to resove those feelings so that you can go on to the next feeling.  Cause you feel more than just anger when your angry, more than just hurt when you're hurting.  A lot of stuff goes on mentally as well as physically.

I am rambling on but I know that with "Write your song!" workshops you will be able to learn to write words that describe the story you want to tell and you will learn about music.  Music will help you evolve emotionally and when you play an instrument with those feelings you will physically feel the power of the song, your song!  and then if you want, you can share it with the world!  Be a part of the earth's choir!

Workshops begin in Jan. 7&8 - 14&15 in Santa Barbara!  contact me or Mariella to reserve your spot.  I only work with 15 people in a workshop at a time!