Songwriting for all with Chris Purcell and Helena Pastor
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The workshop will cover the elements of songwriting including song structure, constructing melodies, fitting lyrics to a melody and the basic theory of chord structure. Participants will learn techniques for crafting lyrics from real or imagined events and experiences. We will aim to write a complete song as a group, and participants are invited to bring in their song lyrics for feedback. Basic skills on a musical instrument that plays chords like guitar, ukulele, and keyboard would be beneficial but not essential.
Together, Helena and Chris have written 16 songs called Lullaby & Lament – A Song Cycle, and this song cycle is the result of their first collaboration. Lullaby & Lament explores and tells stories of the human cycle of life from the cradle to the grave, real stories both joyous and tragic. 
Helena is the author of Wild Boys: A Parent’s Story of Tough Love (UQP, 2015), and her short works of fiction and nonfiction have been published in numerous journals and anthologies. She is also a songwriter and lyrics. Helena has been teaching creative writing workshops since 2010, and completed a PhD in Creative Writing at the University of New England in 2016.
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When: Saturday November 4, 10.30 am—1pm
Where: Wicklow Hotel, Armidale How much: $65 for NEWC members, $80 for non-members, $55 for youth participants (under the age of 18) Light refreshments included 
Chris is a musician, composer and music educator. He has composed mostly for the theatre, his major works being Phoenix – A Ballet with Songs (2005); Dunbar – A Folk Opera (2007); Johnson & Savage (a musical, 2011); and Urania – A Melodrama with Songs (2014). Chris has been involved with community music in Armidale since 1990 – conducting a community choir and teaching at NECOM since 2004. He composed music and songs for plays including Macbeth (UNE production) and The Naming of Armidale (Community Theatre).
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