Songwriting Workshops

MYCOOL SONGWRITING WORKSHOPS

Songwriting is a powerful tool that allows people to express how they feel, connect with their emotions and share their experiences. The benefits of songwriting include self-expression, stress relief, and overcoming challenges. Though this is not therapy, this songwriting process can improve confidence, wellbeing and creativity.

The MyCool Music Foundation’s songwriting initiative is intended to help a wide variety of people and organisations including the NHS staff, cancer patients, homeless charities, asylum seekers and refugees, children in care, mental health patients and those needing help processing life events.

Most recently the MyCool Music Foundation, part funded by the Institute for Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP), provided songwriting workshops for NHS staff at King’s College Hospital, London. The aim was to provide a series of small group songwriting workshops to support NHS staff, or others, affect by Covid, to process what they have been through during the pandemic since early 2020 and enable them to look forward with hope for the future, after truly challenging times.

This involved a reflective sharing of common experiences and translating that into a collective narrative in the form of a song that was subsequently recorded by members of the group. The process was as important as the outcome, providing a creative supported activity through which feelings were channelled with a positive emphasis on wellbeing and promoting wellness of those who devote their lives to making others well.

The video below is of the song we created as a result of our songwriting workshops with King’s College Hospital. ‘Shine’ is an inspiring and uplifting song that focuses on resilience, overcoming adversity and the importance of self worth and self care.

The two facilitators are Mike King, an international musician, vocal coach and choir leader and the founder of the MyCool Music Foundation who lectured at Goldsmiths College, University of London, for 12 years and Angela Blacklaw, a singer/songwriter, vocalist, leadership development consultant and lecturer at the ICMP on the BA in Songwriting (Songwriting and Communities) and the MA in Songwriting (Creative Process).

The New Economics Foundation reported in 2008 on the evidence base for improving people's wellbeing and the following five actions emerged as priorities:

Connect with others

Learn new skills

Be active

Give to others

Pay attention to the present (mindfulness)

These actions (which continue to be publicly endorsed by the NHS and MIND) are embedded into our workshops: connecting people together in a safe and shared space where they give and receive focused attention, express themselves and help process their emotions.

• “After the first session – when I got off the call – it was weirdly therapeutic. I felt better for having verbalised.”

• “It felt like these were therapy sessions. We talked and got to know each other.”

• “We pushed ourselves outside our comfort zone; what we are writing about is what we have lived through, poignant and relevant and unique. An amazing piece of work.”

• “I’m happy and proud of all of us, very creative. It comes from our hearts and experiences, touching, like the lyrics – each verse has our own sound on it, the chorus is really powerful. Best workshop ever. I want to do it again and again!”

• “It exceeded all expectations and goals. It gave me something enjoyable to look forward to and engage in.”

• “I never expected the workshops to have such an impact on my mental health and mood. After every workshop I felt more positive, excited about life, had more courage to carry on with everyday life and also, I felt creative. I hadn’t felt like this for long time. It was very uplifting.”

• “Mike and Angela were wonderful facilitators and I felt they really cared about the project.”

If you or an organisation or charity you are involved with are interested in our songwriting workshops, that are completely funded by the MyCool Music Foundation, please email enquiries@mycoolmusicfoundation.org