Northern Vermont Songwriters

Details

Created on Friday, 20 April 2018 22:32

Written by Jacques Boudreau

ST.JOHNSBURY- The Northern Vermont Song Writers Group is a small group of people who all have a main goal, which is to write good song and to better them through group critiques. Once a month, the old and the young gather to just talk about their lives and to present any songs they have been working on over the past month.

This group has been around for 8 years, but there was a reformatting a few years after it started. Since the reformatting the group has had their meetings in the Catamount Arts Outback Art Space. You can bring a recording of your songs, or you could perform them in front of everyone. The group will give suggestions that may help improve the song. The group's skill level ranges from beginners to people that have been writing songs for most of their life. Jim Karns is one of the original members and has written countless songs with these songwriters.

"Its just a way to get some feedback from an objective audience compared to like your friends or your family who anything you would play for them they would say 'oh yea thats really great'."
Anyone, no matter what skill level can benefit from these critiques as well. Another founding member Michael Hahn has been in a band (The Michael Hahn Band) for a number of years playing original songs at music jams and festivals.

"I just want to say that I send songs to be evaluated to Nashville and around the country, and I feel the feedback I get here at my local group is just as valuable if not more valuable than anything else I have recieved, its been very helpful to me and my growth as a songwriter."

Anyone can join this group for free as long as they are dedicated to songwriting and are not disruptive. Of course, you do not have to go to every meeting but the fresh pair of ears hearing your song will help make it a better song and you a better song writer. There is even a former professor of songwriting in the group who is a wealth of knowledge, Jim Karns said.

"The main thing is you have to love writing songs, and I think everyone who comes here loves to write songs, and beyond that we all have our little motivations and goals and things that we want to do, they might play in a band all the time like Michael does and play original songs, but basically its for people to have an outlet to showcase their music."