The purpose of TERRA Songwriting Groups is to create small pockets of individuals all working hard at their craft. We don’t make things easy, we don’t apologize, and we don’t shy away from a challenge. This isn’t a passing idea - it’s a commitment. We value the work over any subjective judgement. We value the person above all.

Every Monday morning, a prompt will be shared with the group. This could take many forms (a phrase, a poem, a video, a piece of art from a different medium, etc) and there could be an added constraint (no first-person, no rhyming, writing in the style of…, etc). The participants will have until the following Sunday to submit their song (recording + lyrics) to the group. From there, participants are encouraged to listen and provide thoughtful and actionable feedback with positive intent with each other.

This general rhythm will be repeated 3 times for each group - all culminating in a virtual Listening Circle / celebration at the end of the 3 weeks.

The entire program is held virtually (Email + Discord)

There aren’t any scheduled meetings during the 3 week program except for the culminating Listening Circle - which will be communicated during each session.

We all work differently, so we can’t estimate the time investment, but you should allocate at least an hour a week for listening and providing feedback - on top of writing your own song.

The intent of this program is to create a space for people to deepen and expand their songwriting practice. As such, it’s important to take seriously the commitment. It’s cliché to say “You get out what you put in” - and in this case, the amount you put in directly correlates to the value the entire group gets from the program. We all work, we all grow.

Generally speaking, the expectations are simple - but rigid.

• Write a song every week of the program and submit it by the due date.

  • Remember, it’s about putting in the work, not judging your output. You might write something you love, you might not. But the expectation is to share it - without apology.

• Listen to your cohorts songs and provide thoughtful and actionable feedback with positive intent.

  • See “Feedback Policy” section below

• Celebrate with and encourage each other during the process.

  • We all know songwriting can be isolating and lonely. Perhaps that can be a good thing; perhaps there are times to welcome others into the process.

• Be open to the process.

• Download and register an account with Discord (it’s free).

  • We’ll be using this platform for all communication and submissions/feedback during the session.

  • Use this specific link to join the TERRA Songwriting Discord server: https://discord.gg/93unXRn6

  • It is highly suggested to download the desktop version of Discord - it’s easier to upload and listen than it is on the mobile app.

• There’s not a tangible “prize” at the end of each session. The reward is the work - and you’ll not only have 3 new songs, but also a group of trusted peers. At TERRA, we’re most proud of the work created outside of our sessions (Groups + Retreats) as friendships and collaborations flourish.

First and foremost, only share feedback with a positive intention. This doesn’t mean sugar-coating or enabling a bad habit - but it does mean to provide actionable steps if there’s something that sticks out to you.

There are four basic types of feedback. I’ll briefly outline each below and share examples.

• General / Negative: “I don’t like this.”

• General / Positive: “Nice work!”

• Specific / Negative: “When you rhymed those words too perfectly, it made me feel like you took the easy way out. How could you adjust the phrasing to find a more interesting landing spot? Maybe try something like this…”

• Specific / Positive: “When the chorus hit and you brought the melody up a higher register, it really helped drive the point home with me. I could clearly feel the difference between the verse and the chorus because of your writing choices - trust yourself!”

Whereas this isn’t meant to be a class on giving feedback, it’s important to notice the difference between each type. We strive to offer specific feedback in our groups. It can be helpful to keep track of the 2 main components of this kind of feedback - the behavior (or in our case, a creative choice) and the impact. Specificity doesn’t necessarily mean exhaustive. It simply means you’ve identified a behavior/creative choice and the impact it had on you as a listener. It’s worth observing, too, that both forms of “general” feedback can seem insincere and hurtful - without a clear actionable path.