Songwriting
Write and perform original music in a supportive, collaborative week-long intensive. Take a basic idea, lyric hook, or chord progression and transform it into a finished song you’re genuinely proud to share. Partner with fellow musicians to develop your material and bring it to the stage for a live showcase.
Prerequisites: A passion for music, a willingness to experiment and share ideas, and reasonable competence playing a chordal instrument (piano, keyboard, guitar, or ukulele).
TUTOR: Ben chavasse
Ben Chavasse is a singer-songwriter based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, New Zealand. His lyric-forward approach embraces the indie folk genre, influenced by artists like Joanna Newsom, Alex G, Japanese Breakfast, and Tiny Ruins, while incorporating elements of rock, punk, and jazz. He explores self-discovery, mental health, and relationships through an introspective and vulnerable lens.
Ben continues to thrive in collaboration with local musicians he met during his studies at the University of Auckland Jazz School. His album, Boxing, was co-produced and engineered by Michael Howell (SKILAA) and mastered by Josh Llewellyn.
For Ben, songwriting is a way of making sense of the community and experiences that have shaped him. At the core, he creates music to relate, empathise and connect with others.
