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Sign Up For The 2009 Creativity Stargaze

This year's Stargaze will be a blast!
Not to mention the blast of fall color from the leaves! We are going to have some amazing deep exploration into the mystery of creativity using all of our senses.
Being in the setting of the Dyer Observatory, we'll have all of space to inspire us. You'll look through the telescope and check out Jupiter as well as traveling inward to connect with the endless resources of creativity within you. Each of us holds a unique point in the universe. The Creativity Stargaze is about stepping fully into the power of our own unique perspective and creating from the center that we hold. When doing that, one cannot help but be original!

I have been teaching workshops on creativity and songwriting for many years. My style of teaching is very similar to my style of writing. Often I look out on the faces of students waiting for me to show them "how" to write a song. Well the paradox is, that the very first part of stepping into the creative flow is to surrender into "not knowing". I want to guide the students into a place of "lift off" which allows the space and oxygen needed in the beginning to really have something to work with. Learning how to not judge and to play until there's this beautiful, although still not quite defined "lump of clay" that comes through--an idea, or a part of a melody. You can learn to distract the ever-opinionated "critic" or "editor" until it's needed later. There will be many tips and tools you can learn to help streamline the editing process and then re-invite the creative spirit back in- in the process of the second draft.

I will also be doing critiques of songs as well as working with the voice and presentation of the song...I'll weave in the principles of "singing with your speaking voice" which is an amazingly freeing way to sing! Doing this, a singer of any level will dramatically improve and find much more energy available when performing.

We are going to have some amazing guests starting with the legendary Paul Reisler!
Paul has been performing, composing, and teaching for over 30 years and is unquestionably one of the most popular songwriting teachers in North America.He provides a comprehensive and wonderfully digestible wealth of knowledge about songwriting and song structure. A teacher for many years and in high demand, Paul, songwriter, composer, songwriting teacher and founder of the musical group Trapezoid is also the founder and creator of "Kid Pan Alley" which was featured on NPR's "Morning Edition."

We'll have a few "Drive-by-Genius-Songwriters" popping in......this year we have a great poet and songwriter, Mary Gauthier coming by to share her secrets with us! There will also be a couple of other surprise Geniuses showing up....so stay tuned!


The "Rock" AKA Rocky Alvey, astronomer-genius and caretaker of the Observatory, will also be taking us on a few mind-widening voyages that will blast your intellectual boundaries with incredible concepts of space and time and forever shift your perception about your unique place in this world and how important you are and how what you have to say is fascinating. You owe it to the universe to wake up your inner writer!

You don't have to be a professional songwriter to love this workshop. Any form of creativity may apply!

This adventure includes tips, tools, song critiques, guitar-pulling, bonfires, and fantastic food! Friday evening will be a cookout/guitar pull and bring your own beverage kind of thing. And then get ready for bonfires, story swapping, and spontaneous "Drive-By-Hit-Songwriters" not to mention incredible home cooked organic lunch each day by Gabrielle Middlestadt!

Sign Up and I will see you there!! ☺BNC