An Online Community for Singer Songwriters

14 Weeks, 14 Songs

Imagine hitting 2024 with an album worth of new songs ready to record, perform, and LOVE! Join The Studio Songwriter community from September 15 – December 18, 2023 as you follow creative prompts, refine your songwriting, and grow through master classes. Enjoy accountability, feedback, and member collaboration in a kind and supportive community. Join Song Circle and get ready to be inspired and create musical magic!

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$297 CAD Space is limited!

Jadea Kelly recording 'Any Old Boat' in Joel Schwartz's recording studio in Toronto. (Photo credit: Jen Squires)

“I’ve been playing a lot of shows. Every song that I’ve written from this challenge is on my set list now, and they’re some of the crowd favourites

EVA GLASRUD​

 On Songwriting challenge RESULTS​​

Lots of smiles from participants in the summer songwriting challenge.

TELL ME…

What is it?

The Studio Songwriter is a welcoming online community for singer-songwriters, offering 14 weeks of creative prompts, master classes, and collaboration opportunities starting on September 15, 2023. Led by seasoned music producer Joel Schwartz, it’s a platform where musicians of all levels can explore their songwriting potential, share their creations, and receive feedback in a supportive environment. 

I’M INTERESTED…

Where is it?

We meet online on a private community platform (Heartbeat app) where members get a chance to play their songs, workshop ideas, discuss processes, and take opportunities for invaluable feedback from fellow participants. In between live Zoom sessions, participants can post songs, leave comments, and take advantage of feature-packed resources. 

Threads

Community discussion, song posts, community guidelines, and updates.

Courses

Where all the courses and group challenges live.

Docs

Our archives including session replays, resources, downloads, and much more.

Events

Community event listings

Members

Directory of community members

Matchups

Configure your availability to meet with other community one-on-one for co-writing and discussion

DM

List of conversations with individual members

Discussions

All the discussion threads

Posts

Threaded text, image, audio, and video posts with replies and reactions.

Who's Online

See who's online 👀

Search

Easy search functionality for posts, docs, courses, and events.

Notification

Configurable notifications for posts, DMs, mentions, etc

Settings

Configure your notification and other settings

SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING I WOULD LOVE…

How much is it?

The community program runs September 15 – December 15, 2023. Participation is a one-time payment of $297 CAD (about $220 USD). Very small group sizes! 

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WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

Why participate?

This challenge is meant to be fun and enriching. It’s an opportunity to stretch your creative muscles, experiment with new ideas, and a chance to overcome any self-imposed limitations. It’s also a chance to discover and grow your creative voice, co-write (should you wish), and network with other artists.

Is this community for pros only?

I'm Not Sure I’m Good Enough!

The Studio Songwriter Community is a safe space where kindness and support are the guiding principles. So far there is a diverse group that range from emerging artists to seasoned pros. We are all united by our love of music and our willingness to help one another grow. The belief is that each person has a unique story to tell and through mutual support and encouragement, we will all flourish.

SOUNDS AMAZING!

Anything else?

Enjoy live workshops and master classes, tailored for your artistic and professional growth. Topics include harmony and chords, innovative guitar techniques for songwriting, editing and revising songs, maintaining creative output, prepping for recording/production, and understanding rights/royalties.

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Hi, I’m Joel 👋

I’m a guitarist, producer, and founder of The Studio Songwriter Community.

As a music producer, records I’ve worked on have won, or been nominated for, awards like the Junos, Maple Blues Awards, Canadian Folk Music Awards, and many others. 

I’ve also been lucky to have worked with some of Canada’s legendary songwriters such as: Allison Russell (Birds of Chicago), Tony Dekker (Great Lake Swimmers), Royal Wood, Amelia Curran, Matthew Barber, Jill Barber, and many others. 

When I’m not producing, composing, or teaching, you can find me hanging with my partner and running after our toddler.

I’m truly excited to bring my experience to this community and to help your creativity blossom.

Music Producer Joel Schwartz in his studio in Toronto, where he leads the online songwriting challenge. (Photo credit: Jen Squires)

“I appreciate the opportunity to play for others… It’s really helping to motivate me, because, like most people, I need some motivation to get to work, and writing a song is work. But it’s also one of the most rewarding things. When you write a song, you write something from nothing, and it’s like a real high. Paul Simon calls it ‘a big dopamine splash in your brain’.” ​

LORNE WEINER​​

 On Weekly motivation that is FUN​​​

Recap

  • Weekly songwriting prompts for 14 weeks beginning September 15 and ending December 15, 2023
  • Supportive, small group where kindness and support are the guiding principles
  • Weekly group Zoom calls with opportunities to play your latest song
  • Past participants include all skill levels from emerging artists to Juno nominated pros
  • Co-writing and networking opportunities for those interested
  • A fun group activity designed to unleash your inner creativity
  • Lead by seasoned music producer
  • A consistent approach to honing your craft and developing your skills
  • $297 CAD for 14 weeks of community and sessions!

STILL THINKING IT OVER?

Frequently Asked Questions

Song Circle is built on the Heartbeat platform. It can be accessed with any browser or downloadable mobile app.

You will get the opportunity to share your songs in real time on the group calls as well as online on our private platform. If you WISH to receive feedback, you can indicate this when you perform. Otherwise, by default no feedback will be given. This is not a group about winning approval of the community (however historically our group is wonderfully supportive). 

You can submit your song as a video (preferably) on the Studio Songwriter members platform, and/or play it on the weekly zoom call.

You can share your songs in real time during group calls and as posts on our private platform. If you want feedback, let us know when you perform; otherwise, no feedback will be provided by default. Our group isn’t focused on seeking community approval, although historically, it’s been very supportive.

 

The intimate community consists of songwriters at many levels: from seasoned pros to emerging artists. The discussions, insights, and workshops within the community are relevant to creative growth at any level.

Each cohort is limited to around 15 people.

Secure your spot by paying online.

You are the sole owner of any original work you create. The Studio Songwriter has no label or publisher interests whatsoever. The community is about empowering songwriters’ creative process and providing support and mentorship along the way.

Sure!

This is process-focused rather than outcome-focused. If the weekly creative prompt inspires something totally different, that’s fine. Creativity is messy. This is all about giving yourself permission to unleash your inner artistic beast! The only requirement here is that the song be original and composed that week.

 

All calls are recorded and available for streaming.

Join the community

JOSLYNN BURFORD​

 On New MATERIAL​

“When I joined this a couple of weeks ago, I was very busy playing like six gigs a week, and feeling pretty excited about my year and getting some momentum, especially with my original music. What this challenge did for me was pull me back and ground me a little bit. I realized I can’t continue to move forward without taking time to hone my art and writing. I’m appreciating this new regiment.”

BECKY PICHURSKI​

 On Co-Writing Experience

We used texts, voice memo snippets, ideas, stories, little melodies, and words to get us pointed in the same direction. I’ve had a couple of experiences in the past, where a friend and I tried to write a song together, and I’ve just been awful at it, but I think the structure of the timeline helped a lot. The song came out in such a satisfying way, and when it was done we both felt like it was someone else’s song -- like we couldn’t believe that we wrote that song. It felt like we were covering a song by someone else. It became a product that neither of us would have written on our own so that was really cool.

BRIANA DOYLE

 On Expanding creativity and PROCESS​​​

“I was feeling out of the flow, I hadn’t written anything in a while, so it was hard to get back in, and then the other night I decided to go back through some of my notes for lyrics, and snippets of things I started and never finished. I thought ‘I’m just going to go back and work on whatever comes up’, and there were two songs that I ended up finishing. They’re still a work in progress, but they’re more of a song than they were.”

Joel Schwartz in his studio in Toronto. (Photo credit: Jen Squires)

READY TO JUMP IN?

14 Weeks, 14 Songs Challenge

Sharpen your pencils, tune your instruments, and prepare to be inspired.

The 2023 fall challenge awaits, and I cannot wait to witness the incredible songs that will emerge from your creative minds.

Join The Studio Songwriter community