Dean Friedman to teach songwriting in France

Dean Friedman: “We hang out pool-side, eat delicious food, sip wine and talk about songs.”

The quirky 70s singer-songwriter will again operate his four-day residential summer workshops, with one-to-one tuition, at a farmhouse in Carcassonne

American singer-songwriter Dean Friedman – famous for penning the late-70s hit singles Ariel, Well Well Said the Rocking Chair, Lydia and Lucky Stars – will be running another songwriting workshop in south-west France this summer. Organised by French House Party, the three-day course will take place over a four-day break at a 200-year-old farmhouse in Carcassonne.

The three days include group instruction workshops, jamming sessions, one-to-one tuition, writing, performances and the bonus of a privately-arranged Dean Friedman evening gig. The workshops explore the tools and strategies for inspiring and facilitating the craft of learning songwriting. The role of choice in determining the theme, idiom, narrative voice and goal of a song will be examined, along with strategies for creating an environment that encourages inspiration to strike. Students will be encouraged to share their original compositions, for comment and review, and each day given specific writing assignments tailored to explore some of the basic principles of songcraft.

“It’s relaxing and productive,” explains Friedman. “We hang out pool-side, eat delicious food, sip wine and talk about songs – and write a bunch of ’em too… Yes, it’s really hard work!” Anticipating his seventh summer in France, Dean goes on to reflect: “I’ve been writing a lot of cool new songs as I begin early production of my new album project. Funny thing is, whenever I’m stuck, I actually stop and think about some of the basic principles I talk about in my songwriting course.”

Songwriting with Dean Friedman is on 29 July to 1 August 2016 at the ‘all-inclusive’ rate of £795 per person, sharing a twin or double room. For more details, visit: frenchhouseparty.eu/creative-arts/song-writing/

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