FEEDBACK [feed-bak] – noun: a reaction or response to a particular process or activity.
Anyone who has explored the creative process understands the value of feedback. Exposing our “works in progress” to the critique of our peers certainly takes courage, but feedback can also take our creative endeavors from average to excellent. Art House Dallas wants to provide an encouraging environment within a small group setting to explore your strengths and potential areas of growth as an artist. Groups will be limited to 5 songwriters and Art House will provide facilitators who have exhibited a track record of success in their art form.
Our featured artist is Grady Spencer of Grady Spencer and the Work.
SONGWRITERS FEEDBACK WORKSHOP
Date: Saturday, December 7
Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM NOON CST
9:00AM - Breakfast, 9:30 - Guest Speaker, 10:30 - Feedback groups
Location: TBA
Registration: Registration Required | $25 and includes breakfast, teaching, and review with peer songwriters
This songwriters’ event is for musicians that are willing to share their work in a live setting. All attendees are expected to share their music with their small group.
If you are an artist that needs to play a track in order to perform( i.e. rap or pop music), we will have a bluetooth speaker available for you. For more information, please read below.
A fee has been added to this event in order to encourage attendance. If you can not manage this fee, please fill out this form to apply for a scholarship.
Featured Artist: Grady Spencer
Grady Spencer & the Work is an American groove-based rock and roll band from Fort Worth, Texas. Born and bred out of the sweat and blood stemming from decades of
gritty manual labor, the band channels years of music experiences into a tasty soup of country, pop and rock music.
Grady grew up in the tiny town of Paducah, Texas eventually moved to Lubbock to attend Texas Tech University. Eventually, he would graduate and begin
working various jobs ranging from a teacher aid for special needs elementary children to framing houses. He met and married his wife, kaci, in Lubbock in 2012 and they moved to Fort Worth to begin a new chapter. Grady began planting seeds in the fort worth music scene and would eventually get busy enough to get signed to a booking agency called red11 music out of Nashville.
Over the next several years, Grady worked to establish himself and his band as staples in the exploding fort worth creative arts community. In January of 2020, Grady stepped away from his 10 year construction career to pursue music full time. Through various member turnover throughout the years, he was finally joined by Johnny hatcher on bass, keys and vocals, Tyler Martin on guitar and music production and Jesse fox on drums, percussion and show programming.
Grady and the work are currently working on singles throughout studios in the DFW area and have plans for multiple projects over the coming months. They’re preparing for a full 2025 of shows throughout the country and are excited for whatever the next chapter will be.
ABOUT FEEDBACK :: SONGWRITING
After Art House Dallas hosted Song Project in February 2011, one of the biggest takeaways from the event was the desire of the songwriters to have time and space to play their songs and hear from their peers. Furthermore, we also saw that most of the songwriters wanted more time to be challenged in their routine writing practices and be pushed towards a higher standard of songs that are true, good and beautiful for the common Good. Our hope is that Feedback will achieve both.
Feedback for songwriters is a place where expression, discussion, and new ideas are encouraged. Art House Dallas is all about connecting folks, and we also want these groups to pave the way for making contacts in music, which any songwriter knows is one of many keys to success. So, join us for a time of learning and inspiration through the sharing of ideas with fellow songwriters.
Whether you’re listening or playing, please enter the event with the humility of a learner. No one comes out with a finished, profoundly impactful piece of art every time, and to gain the most from the event, be quick to receive feedback as a statement on the piece of art, not on you as an individual or your artistic skill/sensibility.
GUIDELINES FOR FEEDBACK: (SONGWRITER | PERFORMER)
When you express an opinion about the song, whether it fits your taste or not, it's more important to explain precisely what is good about it and which are the weaker areas that could be improved.
Please remember that any kind of negative criticism is always going to be a bit painful, so be tactful and accurate. Most people tend to over-react to negative criticism, despite the need to improve, so you should compensate for that a little bit.
Come Prepared: Come with a complete enough song that the listeners are able to give constructive critique – (i.e. – try to have it in a form that you would play for an audience)
Keep an open mind: Know that everything is a work in progress and there are always different approaches to creating and executing a song.
Let the song Speak: Often as artists, our insecurities will get the best of us and we want to over explain the song or give a disclaimer on this
Twice as many positive comments as negative. Be as specific as you can about what is good about the writing and song.
Do not present a problem without suggesting a solution. In other words, do not just say what you think is wrong with the song.
Do not make any jokes, they are much too easily misinterpreted.
POSSIBLE AREAS OF DISCUSSION
Lyrics / Story: the topic, theme, the structure and language
Tune: chords, melody, mood, originality, and complexity
Arrangement: instrumentation, vocals, effects, key
Commerciality: What is the goal of this song? Where is the audience for this type of song?
