December 2001
Guild Tidings
The official Publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 6, No. 12
NEXT MEETING 5:00 PM Sunday, December 2nd, 2001
The International Songwriter's Guild meets the first
Sunday of every month at the Central Florida
Musician's Union building at 3020 East Robinson (at
the extreme east end of Robinson less than a block
from Herndon Airport).
Songwriters, composers, performers, publishers, and
the curious are encouraged to join us. Non-members
are invited to attend a meeting or two to get a feel
for our group and what we do.
Officers:
President/Treasurer
Russ Robinson (407) 851-5328
Vice President/Member Reception
Matthew Griffin (407) 903-1212
Secretary
Evelyn Nelson (863) 644-8699
Membership
Susan Foster-Trewick (407) 679-4017
Web Consultant
Asli Walker (407) 359-0506
President's Letter
Dear Members,
I hope everyone had a feastful Thanksgiving and at this point is getting ready for Xmas. I
selected an early date (Saturday, December 8th) for our Xmas Beardall show and party. We were offered the stage December 22nd but I felt the earlier date might be better since the 22nd is so close to Christmas and most everyone is trying to do last minute necessities. I hope this date is better for everyone.
Our meeting and the Guild's show are both in the same week so I hope to learn at the meeting who is doing what. Too, we could really use a second sound system. The one at Beardall isn't strong enough for that big room. If you can furnish one please let me know by the meeting. In the meantime get your Xmas songs ready, or if you'd rather do an original or cover tune it will do.
We've had some great new members joining recently. I hope some of you will appear at Beardall. This is a good time to do your own song re September 11th if you don't have a Christmas song.
We always have a great Xmas party and this gives you a chance to include your friends too. Elsewhere in this issue you'll find a map and directions to the show at Beardall and to the party location. We have Art Cappuccio to thank for getting the clubhouse.
Let's all be friends and be happy! We have very serious problems at this time in our country. We need each other. Think music, it helps.
See you Sunday,
Best ever,
Russ Robinson
The New Songwriters
by Matt Griffin
Happy National Education Week! As most of you who have school-aged children probably know, schools held "teach-in" presentations in November where parents came in to their kids' classroom to talk about…well, something they know about. Mostly they talked about their careers, I suspect. It's a terrific concept, and lots of parents participated. I was lucky enough to be able to spend an hour talking to my daughter's fourth-grade class about songwriting.
Actually I think I enjoyed it more than the students did. I'm really trying hard not to brag on myself here, but I held the kids' rapt attention for a full hour. I have to confess I had a couple of significant advantages over other parents, like a friend of mine at work who tried vainly to talk to her son's second-grade class about program management. First off, I have to give credit to the kids and the teacher (Mrs. Lesh at Palm Lake Elementary, if you're scoring at home). The class was organized and-get this-calm, and the kids seemed truly bright and involved. Secondly, I had an engrossing topic to talk about. Children that age are developing a serious interest in music anyway, so I had no trouble keeping them focused.
The real challenge was keeping focused myself. My daughter gave me the warning I needed: "Dad, please don't give them one of your long boring explanations of things." I have a bad habit of doing that! So I made myself an outline and stuck to the important topics: an introduction (I talked about the ISG for a few minutes and gave everyone a newsletter), the parts of a song that need to be written (words, melody, chords, title), important elements of songs (verse/chorus and form, rhythm, rhyme, tempo, story or idea), target audience or market, collaboration, and the hook. I sprinkled in examples from current pop music and a few of my originals to keep things interesting. Then I gave them a brief example of the process I use to write, and we wrote a simple song ("Life's a Jungle") as a group that turned out surprisingly well.
The point I'm making so slowly here (in another of my long boring explanations!) is, nothing else matters that much. Everything important that a would-be writer needs to know to start songwriting can be related in an hour. That doesn't mean they can then do it well, of course; there is an element of talent that no one can teach. But the core information is relatively small and can be grasped by an alert child.
I learned that from Mrs. Lesh's fourth-grade class, aspiring songwriters all.
ISG Bulletin Board
Christmas Show and Party-Saturday, December 8th
Guild members, family and friends! All are welcome to the ISG Christmas Show at Beardall and/or the Xmas party afterward.
The show is at Beardall, off Orange Avenue near downtown Orlando. We're putting on a two-hour show beginning at 3:00 PM; performers should try to be there at 2:30. By the way, we still need performers! Call Russ no later than the meeting, or come to the meeting and sign up.
The annual ISG Christmas party is being held at the Starlight Ranch clubhouse, 6000 East Pershing Avenue about a block east of Semoran. The party starts at about 5:30 (or when the Beardall crowd arrives). Please bring food-a covered dish, a dessert, or the like. There are always lots of good eats and lots of good music, so please come out.
Hope to see you all there!
Webchatter
Cybertoad2000@yahoo.com
Just wanted to let you know that the certificates are ready for distribution. Please see Russ or Susan Foster-Trewick at the next meeting or at the Christmas party to pick them up if you placed in any of the monthly evaluations. Also we would like to put the first place winners on another compilation album, so please see Susan if your song placed first in the year 2001.
TEAC 3340S Professional tape recorder, ¼” reel to
reel, 4 tracks with simulsync, 7-1/2 inch and 15 inch
reels, $200. 321-452-2910 or email geosync@pan.com.
We're always looking for material for the newsletter.
If you have any information that you would like to see
added to the newsletter, please see Matt Griffin at
the meetings, or you can email him at
griffinmc@netzero.net.
Please keep your articles brief and to the point.
Classified advertising may be placed free of charge to
members in good standing in the ISG. For more
information on display advertising and/or
classified advertising for non-members, please call
Russ or Matt or email:
griffinmc@netzero.net
Welcome new member Robert Neace and returning member Art Cappuccio.
November TOP FIVE
Winners of last month’s evaluation session
(members only)
(1) Blame It on the Moon Serina Jung
(2) Comeback Kids Bill Resimont
(3) Ground Zero Robert Neace
(4) Hit Me Right Between the Eyes Art Cappuccio
(5) Clear as a Bell Rose Marston