Ignite your creative expression, cultivate your songwriting artistry and collaborate in community!
Are you looking to:
Learn to write songs with more ease and impact?
Up-level your skills and grow your craft?
Write your first song, or inspire your next album?
Feel deeply connected to your creative community?
Take your songs from your the closet to the stage?
Whether you are a seasoned professional or just starting out on your journey, we all share the need for the same thing: Connection, creative community, and inspiring places that support you to grow your skills and hone your craft.
We are SO excited to welcome you to a unique event hosted by the Songwriter Soiree called Songs in the City! A one day immersive songwriting experience for Songwriters of all levels!
Featuring nationally renowned songwriting teacherJeffery Pepper Rodgers, with Lewis Childs, Ali Boyce,Robin Jackson, and special guests!
And opportunity to workshop and co-write your song with a band!
Opportunities to connect and collaborate with others
Deep support, encouragement, and care
Vocal freedom and group singing
A super fun time!
“I learn so much and am blossoming in your community and am beyond grateful for awakening, loving, collaborative musical family is a reality!”
– Jesse Star
WHAT YOU’LL EXPERIENCE
Songs in the City is a one day event centered around songwriting and creative connection. The event will consist of two workshop sessions, group singing, time to connect and jam, and an intimate and connected Soiree open mic experience in the evening! It will be held at an inspiring and uplifting space between the whimsical Portland Kennedy School and Flora Bowley’s private Art Oasis (across the street).
WHAT WILL BE OFFERED
Inspiring Songwriting Workshops
We will be offering two unique workshop sessions, happening at the same time, taught by Jeffery Pepper Rodgers and Lewis Childs. You can choose which workshop you attend (you can do both by the same teacher, or switch). For a full description of songwriting workshops, see below.
Group Singing
We will gather in the morning and afternoon to share in the incredible experience of singing as a group. Singing is one of the most healing, inspiring and connecting activities we can do as humans and a great way to support your journey as a songwriter. Unlock the power and birthright of your voice with us! We are excited to have Ali Boyce lead us in an amazing group singing experience of easy to learn songs for all levels.
Soiree Open Mic
Our open mic is the heart of the Songwriter Soiree. Join with us in a deeply supportive and inspiring space where you will have the opportunity to share your original song with the group, either alone or with your new backup band! Here, we emphasize the act of sharing vs performing, and our favorite thing to say is we support you!
Please note that sharing a song or writing a song isn’t required at all. How you participate is up to you! Just listen, bring your presence, give feedback, relax, learn, and enjoy!
Location and Food
The event will be held between two locations which are a short 2 minute walk from each other. One is at the charming and whimsical Portland Kennedy School Community Room, located at 5736 NE 33rd Ave, Portland, OR 97211 (enter in the back of the building). The other is at a secret art Oasis (location given at the event). You may park in the Kennedy School lot or nearby. We will meet at the beginning of the day in the community room.
Live out of town? Make it a weekend and stay in the incredible Kennedy School! This is a historic and utterly whimsical space with a spa, movie theater, tons of restaurants, gardens, events, and more!
We will have two meal breaks. Participants will be responsible for their own food. You can eat at the Kennedy School or there are a bounty of amazing local restaurants and food carts within a 5 minute walk. This is a great time to connect with meet with other songwriters and talk and Jam (both spaces will be open during meal times for jamming).
Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers has combined his twin passions for words and music into a multifaceted career as a musician, author, and teacher. A grand prize winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, he plays kinetic folk rock, combining vivid imagery and storytelling with masterful band-in-a-box guitar playing. “Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers’ songs ring true and new,” says Patty Larkin. “Spot-on work from an American wordsmith.”
Jeffrey is the founding editor of Acoustic Guitar magazine and author of The Complete Singer-Songwriter (which Ben Harper calls “the most creatively valuable book on the subject”), Beyond Strumming, and many other books and videos for musicians.
Jeffrey has been a staff instructor at Ashokan Acoustic Guitar Camp and Lamb’s Retreat for Songwriters, and he leads songwriting and guitar workshops both in person and through Patreon. For many years he has taught courses on songwriting and creative nonfiction writing at Syracuse University, and in 2024 he was inducted into the Sammy (Syracuse Area Music) Award Hall of Fame as a music educator.
Lewis Childs is a songwriter, performer, educator and recording engineer based in Portland, Oregon. Born in Los Angeles, California he started playing electric guitar at the age of 13 and studied musical theater at Cuesta College, and vocal performance at the U of O school of Music. He has performed all over the world and has taught workshops at educational institutions throughout the Pacific Northwest. His artistic collaborations include harmonica virtuoso Joe Powers, Márcio daLari (Brazilian Master of Percussion), Maggie Wheeler (actress and singer known for her work on the popular T.V. show “Friends”), Galen Clark (Trio Subtonic) and Robin Jackson (Singer-Songwriter and musician). You can often find him working at, Groundswell Studios, where he works to produce emerging artists and foster the next generation of talent by offering music instruction for kids and adults. lewischilds.com
Ali Boyce
Group Song Leader
Ali is a singer, songwriter, voice teacher, bodyworker, performer, yoga teacher, and community singing leader. Ali teaches adults and teens contemporary singing, and is passionate about helping singers gain agency and empowerment in their voices, helping demystify the art and act of singing, and guiding singers to connect more to their bodies to gain more freedom and agency in their voices. She has over a decade of performance experience on both professional and ramshackle stages. aliboycevoice.com
Robin Jackson
CreativeEvent Facilitator
An award-winning songwriter, teacher, activist, and spirited impresario, Robin has dedicated himself to creating connection through art and music. Robin’s work is rooted in the idea that everyone is creative and that most of us simply need the space to be seen, heard, and supported for positive transformation to take place. He has toured the world with his music for 25+ years, has three solo albums and countless collaborations with notable artists. His popular Songwriter Soiree events and online courses have helped thousands of people unblock their voices, hearts, and creative natures.
Most songs do not arrive fully and perfectly formed—they’ll have strong sections and moments and others that don’t measure up. That’s why every songwriter needs to be an effective song editor, who can recognize a song’s best attributes, zero in on its weak points, and make changes that tap into its full potential. In this workshop, we’ll explore strategies for editing songs in progress. Learn how to sharpen your lyrics, bolster the melody, make a chord progression more distinctive, cut whatever is not needed, develop the story, and bring out the heart of a song.
Build Powerful Chord Progressions
Jeffery Pepper Rodgers • 2:45pm – 5pm
Chord progressions are the engine of songwriting—they make everything move. There’s a kind of magic in a great progression, a mix of soothing familiarity and thrilling surprise that has emotional power even without the melody and lyrics. Every songwriter needs to be fluent with chord progressions, but the process of figuring out which chords to use and how to sequence them can be mystifying. In this workshop we’ll delve into how progressions work, drawing on examples from classic songs, and learn how make the progressions in your songs more distinctive and impactful.
Songwriters Circle
Lewis Childs • Offered both sessions
Borrowing from the songwriter in the round format, this workshop offers participants a unique opportunity to share their songs and a bit about their creative process. It’s also an opportunity to get feedback from the group on songs that you are currently working on. We will talk about developing strategies for overcoming challenges that come up during the creative process.
Please be aware that we will only be able to focus on a handful of participant’s songs during each workshop. That said, we make the process valuable and applicable for everyone. If you come and your song is not selected, you will still gain valuable insight into the creative process for your own work. This workshop is also offered twice in the day.
SONGS IN THE CITY SCHEDULE
Saturday, May 31st
10:30-11pm: Welcome and singing
11-1pm: Workshop session 1: Choose between Take Your Songs to the Next Level or Songwriters Circle
1- 2:15pm: lunch
2:15–2:45: Whole group singing session
2:45 – 5pm: Workshop session 2: Choose between Build Powerful Chord Progressions or Songwriters Circle
5-7 pm: Dinner break and connection time
7-10pm: Soiree Open Mic
REGISTRATION
Your registration includes:
All workshops with Jeffery Pepper Rodgers, Lewis Childs and Robin Jackson
Singing Circles with Ali Boyce
Performance and enjoyment at our intimate Open Mic Soiree
Access to our private Facebook community for ongoing connection
Access to all facilities in a gorgeous and chic location
So much fun!
Price: $225
This event is officially sold out. And we are selling a limited amount of extra tickets that include everything except a guaranteed 5 min performance spot in our Soiree open mic. If you’d like to attend without performing in the Soiree, we welcome you to sign up – Only 4 extra tickets available so sign up now.
What began in 2009 as an open mic for original music, the Songwriter Soiree provides a nurturing environment for individuals to connect through songwriting, music, and collective creativity. We uplift the craft of songwriting and celebrate the art of performing original material through retreats, workshops, gatherings, an online hub, and regular performance opportunities. Learn More
