Everyone has a song inside them, and a Dave Kinnoin Songwriting Workshop helps bring that song into the world. Dave offers three different workshops for students:
1
CHARACTER COUNTS! Songwriting Workshop – for elementary school classes
A one-hour Six Pillars of Character® song explosion.
A one-hour Six Pillars of Character® song explosion.
2
The Best in Me Songwriting Workshop – for middle school classes
One-hour of character-driven ideas and feelings put to music.
One-hour of character-driven ideas and feelings put to music.
3
General Songwriting Workshop – for either elementary or middle school classes
The same creativity and fun but not necessarily character-driven – the class and/or teacher determine the focus.
The same creativity and fun but not necessarily character-driven – the class and/or teacher determine the focus.
Dave serves as the guide, not the commander, of the process.
Each workshop includes:
- Making up a brand-new song based on the thoughts, feelings, rhythms, and melodies that happen in the room. Dave lets everything flow and respectfully nourishes it with the talent and craft born of his decades of songwriting experience.
- Dave takes the students through the songwriting process:
- the initial idea for the song
- exploring the song idea
- coming up with a title and hook
- determining the musical style
- going through all the elements of the song
- and so much more
- Dave and the kids rehearse the song they’ve written.
- They record it on Dave’s digital recorder.
- Dave emails the mp3 and lyric sheet to the teacher or principal.
In addition to having a song written and performed by the class:
- Students learn to focus their ideas in a safe environment.
- They meet a deadline.
- They feel the pride of being the writers, not observers, of a brand-new song.
- They can apply what they’ve learned to other aspects of their lives.
Regarding the character-driven workshops:
Dave is a graduate of the CHARACTER COUNTS! Character Development Seminar and CHARACTER COUNTS! 4.0 training. He wrote the jingles for The Josephson Institute and the “CHARACTER COUNTS! Week” theme song as well as the award-winning CDs CHARACTER COUNTS! Strikes a Chord and The Best in Me, all commissioned or endorsed by JIE.