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Posi Music Festival

Make plans to be part of the energy and fun of the 9th Annual emPower Posi Festival!
Jan 17-20, 2014 in Orlando, Florida.

Pre-event - Totally Cool Song School is
Jan 16-17, 2014

It's the greatest gift you can give yourself, the gift of creativity and song. 

 In addition to 2 concerts, song circles, jams, mentoring, the Posi awards, a great silent auction, Open Mics, Posi yoga, and our signature "Pajama Jams", take an advance look at some of workshops we have planned so far!  The Saturday workshops include:

Daniel Nahmod - Be Like Water:  Finding peace of mind in turbulent times.
2 sessions
In this two-part workshop centered around the award-winning songs of his CD "Water," Daniel Nahmod presents music and discussion, readings and provocative questions, originating from his 3-month sabbatical in the Red Rock country of southeastern Utah.  We'll consider our dreams and desires, our

David Roth - Let Your Star Shine: A performance workshop
In this safe, fun, playful, and powerful session join David on a journey into the "express business" as we embrace our excitement and share our joy

Robert Finnigan CFP - Financial Literacy for the Successful Business Owner:
Musicians frequently believe they have to give up financial security to have a creative life. This is simply not true! Come explore these simple tips from long time financial planner Robert Finnigan to discover that you can be financially secure AND be a full-time professional musician. Robert is a dedicated truth student and uses those principles in his everyday life.

Jami Lula - There's a Song in Your Soul: A Vocal Workshop

Armand and Angelina - Native American Flute Playshop

Faith Rivera - Ideas for Successful Marketing for Posi Artists

Posi Coffee House (open mic)  hosted by Jana Stanfield and others

Sunday morning “Faith Lift”with Dyann and Michael Woody
The Woody's are the founding spiritual directors of the Music City Center For Spiritual Living, a thriving community in Nashville, TN.

"Heart Sing" with Nathen Aswell     Let’s celebrate the weekend that we’ve spent together by singing simple, inspirational, heart opening music, and go back to our communities feeling grounded, centered and re-energized!

Pre-Event ~ 3rd Annual "Totally Cool Song School!"

Our "Totally Cool Song School" is in it's 3rd year.   Included in the price of $249 are 4 meals with teachers, 4 classes, a 20 minute mentoring session, and a critique song circle.  Classes are limited in size and fill up early.  The first session class is two parts (Thursday and Friday morning...giving you a chance to delve deeper into the process)

Sloan Wainwright: SINGING WITH YOUR HEART, SOUL, AND BODY (2 days)
“Vocal Immersion” 2 day class (limited to 15 students)  Students commit to being part of both days, although they can also participate in the mentoring sessions and the evening song circles.

Inside each of us lives a beautiful and unique instrument, so let's sing together with joy and freedom!  In this workshop we will move our bodies, soften our hearts, open our mouths and let our voices out to play.  With an emphasis on vocal health and self-care, we’ll use a combination of vocal warm-ups and work-outs - traditional and non-traditional - to help relax, release and strengthen the voice, making it more flexible and reliable.  This immersion will allow us to come together with plenty of time to create a safe and supportive environment for reflection, growth and joy in our perfect expression. Everyone will have a chance to sing their heart out!  Individual attention is offered as well as to the group as a whole, and each student will be supported in developing their own personal vocal practice.  This class is for singers AND non-singers alike.

David Roth:  WRITING A CHORUS THAT SOARS (Part 1 & Part 2)
When any given song HAS a chorus, what are some of the characteristics?  We know that it will be repeated a few times, so we recognize a few of these traits: It may be sing-able, memorable, catchy, sometimes it has the title of the song in it, but most importantly it reinforces the THEME of the song…the heart and soul of what the composer is trying to express.  On Day One we’ll listen to some great examples, engage in brief discussion, look for our own individual inspiration, create our OWN choruses, and launch into wrapping the rest of the song around it.  Day Two?  We’ll hear some of these first drafts (or finished pieces?) and lay out roadmaps for the "what's next" of our new anthems.

Jana Stanfield’s 2-Day KISS Workshop:
The goal of Jana’s KISS Method Workshops is to help you write songs that become Ear Worms people can’t get out of their heads.  Jana’s songs have sold millions of copies, have been used on radio, television, and movies, and have won many Posi Awards.  You can walk out of this two-day session with a new Ear Worm Song you love, that you’re proud to perform, and that expresses who you are as a songwriter, whether that’s something funny, vulnerable, insightful, or loveably quirky.
Day 1:  Writing Your Ear Worm Chorus
We are going to Keep It Simple, Sweetie, on Day 1, by focusing all our attention on Jana’s Essential Elements of Ear Worm Choruses. You may write one or more Ear Worm Choruses on the first day. Your Ear Worm Chorus can serve many purposes, including:

  • Creating enjoyment for your listeners
  • Helping people want to sing along
  • Making your songs unforgettable
  • Winning awards, attention, accolades
  • Getting movie or TV placements, and sales of your songs.

Day 2:  Setting Up Your Ear Worm Chorus with 2 Very Good Verses and a High Dive Bridge
After learning Jana’s Ear Worm Essential Ear Worm Elements on Day 1, we will apply some of these techniques to writing Very Good Verses and High Dive Bridges. We will “workshop” each song, using collaborative wisdom to make your song the best it can be.  Whether you want to walk away with a new Killer Ear Worm Chorus, or a Killer Ear Worm Song, you’ll have the help of a multi-platinum selling songwriter who wants to make your next song your best song.

Cosy Sheridan: “Using the Wisdom of Mythology in Songwriting” (Part 1 and 2)
“Mythology is the bridge between the spiritual and the psychological worlds.  How can we tap into our own mythological realm and use it in our songwriting?  How can we use those timeless themes to deepen our songs?  Is Athena weaving through our life’s journey or are we Orpheus searching through the underworld for love?  Or, maybe we are Hector of Troy fighting a losing battle for a just cause.  In this workshop we will look for the myth(s) that informs our own life:  using guided meditation and creative process we will each look for a mythic theme that runs through our life and begin writing a song that comes from that timeless place.”

Harold Payne:  Writing in the Universal Positive. (Part 1 and 2)
We all know those anthemic positive or inspirational songs that speak to everyone. From “Lean on Me” & “I Can See Clearly” to “Don’t worry be Happy” to Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger” & Will I Am’s “I Gotta Feelin”, you can’t help but be lifted up when you hear them. We’ll work on writing feel good or spiritually uplifting songs without using overly “jargonic” or overly preachy messages—songs that work in just about any setting.
 

Tom Kimmel: Songs in the Key of life (Part 1 & 2)
In the world of positive music we want our songs to resonate with our listeners and make a positive contribution to the world. The challenge is to bring our intellect in service to our inspiration without over-thinking the whole thing. In other words, while we hope our listeners don't miss our point, we also need to allow room for them to have their own experience--to have their own "a-ha's"!
In this 2 day workshop we'll work with that precarious balance between inspiration and perspiration as we examine with tools and touchstones that empower us to write and communicate more effectively.  


David Roth:  CO-WRITING, COMPROMISE, AND CREATION
You've got a great idea.  You don't have any idea.  You sit down with another creator and share and inquire and stimulate and surrender and the next thing you know, you have the foundation of a new song that neither one of you might have come up with in just such a way.  This is the beauty of working together, and in this short time together we will launch one another into new territory by pairing off, brainstorming, checking in, slowing down for the speed bumps and stepping on the gas where the road appears smooth.  You may have heard me say "never be in a hurry to finish a song" so be reminded that this isn't a race.  Our goal will be to commit to the process and put some follow-up in place for you and your partner to explore co-writing together.

Jana Stanfield’s KISS Method Secrets of Ear Worm Songs  (that Sell.)
Calling all poets, songwriters, writers, and singers! If you want to write songs that win awards (Posi Awards anyone???) or sell a million copies, or just get people to request them at your shows, the key is in creating “ear-worms.” In this fast-paced, fun, workshop, you will learn:
•    Jana’s KISS Method of Songwriting
•    Jana’s Essential Ear-Worm Elements
•    The 2 Most Popular Song Formulas, which you can use again and again to create songs that people enjoy, remember, and want to you to repeat.  
Songs that win awards, earn accolades, and sell millions of copies are written from the two formulas that you’ll learn in this class.


Cosy Sheridan:  "The Folk Song Machine  - some assembly required
“In this workshop we will each write our own version of a traditional folk song.  The song forms of traditional music are both powerful and accessible, and can easily be used for sing-a-longs and spiritual songs. Using a traditional template, we will strip our story down to the bare bones and wrap our verses around our song's central theme like a leaves of a vine that climb up and up and up."

Tom Kimmel:  Songbuilding Essentials
Inspiration for a song often bursts forth, and we writers scramble to provide a form for it, word by word and note by note. Sometimes the work goes quickly, sometimes we need to step back a time or two and return with a fresh outlook. The fact is, the better we work with form and craft, the more satisfied we are with our songs.
In this workshop we explore the craft of writing from the ground up: the essentials all of us work with song-by-song.

Harold Payne: Preparing for spontaneity
How to use improvisational and other right brain techniques to
To help you dive in and “jumpstart” new songs or to put your songs in the moment by incorporating “recap improv”.  Learn how to set the table for “happy accidents”, harvest random ideas and turn deadlines into “benign precariousness”.

Mentoring Sessions are randomly drawn...Mentors include:  Jana Stanfield, David Roth, JD Martin, Harold Payne, Tom Kimmel, Faith Rivera, Cosy Sheridan, Karen Drucker, Freebo, Robert Anderson


Song School Critique Circles:
JD Martin, Freebo, Karen Drucker, David Roth

Presenter Bios:

Cosy Sheridan has been called “one of the era’s finest and most thoughtful singer-songwriters.”  She first caught the attention of national folk audiences in 1992 when she won both the Kerrville Folk Festival's NewFolk Award and The Telluride Bluegrass Festival Troubadour Contest, then released her critically-acclaimed debut CD Quietly Led on Waterbug Records.
She has released nine CDs, her music is featured in the Robert Fulghum multi-media novel The Third Wish and she tours consistently throughout the US. Her concerts are wide-ranging explorations of modern mythology (meet Hades the Biker), love songs for adults, contemporary philosophy for the thoughtfully-minded and her signature parody on aging and women. Throughout this journey, her lyrical dexterity is backed by her distinctive, percussive bluesy-gospel guitar style.  A guitar student of instrumental luminaries such as Guy Van Duser and Eric Schoenberg and a voice student at The Berklee School of Music,

David Roth has been leading workshops on songwriting, singing, and performance for more that two decades and is honored to join us once more.  Now in his 27th year of full-time music-making, David's songs have found their way to Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, several Chicken Soup for the Soul books, the Kennedy Center, the Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul, & Mary concerts, NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis (his song, "Rocket Science" circled the earth in 2009), the "Rise Up Singing" Songbook, more than 300 New Thought Centers throughout North America, countless coffeehouses, conferences, concert halls, festivals, and 13 CDs on the Wind River and Stockfisch (Germany) labels. The former artist-in-residence at New York's Omega Institute won his 4th consecutive Posi Award last year (among 10 nominations since we began) and joyfully returns to our gathering from his home on Cape Cod where for the past 8 years he's hosted the Full Moon Open Mic, providing a forum for local musicians to connect and be heard while at the same time collecting donations for local non-profit organizations.  www.davidrothmusic.com

SLOAN WAINWRIGHT
Sloan Wainwright is a singer and a songwriter of rare power and subtlety, serving up doses of the real and the mysterious in a soaring, soulful contralto that sends critics scrambling for metaphors equal to the thrill: “the aural equivalent of smoky, tantalizing aromas emanating from a soul kitchen;” “[her] thick as molasses voice gets under your skin in all the right ways;” a powerful, earth-mother voice that she pours into unexpectedly sensitive blends of folk, jazz, blues and funk.” Singing with the extended McGarrigle-Wainwright family, Sloan has rocked the house at Carnegie Hall, London’s Royal Albert Hall, and has released seven memorable records since her self-titled debut in 1994. She brings the same energy to her work as a solo artist, melding the best of pop, folk, jazz, and blues to create a unique, soulful hybrid. Sloan has been playing clubs, concerts and festivals coast to coast for two decades, triggering tears, hoots and hollers with deeply personal lyrics that connect life’s mysterious dots. A born storyteller and poet, Sloan started writing songs when she was 10. “Sitting at the piano and making up songs was my playground— a very safe place, magical and mystical. I surprised myself with what was in my head and how it all fit together.” For the last 16 years, she has been sharing that process with students, spreading the gospel of personal expression and lyrical reinvention. Sloan’s open-hearted approach to singing, songwriting and letting loose has made her a treasured presence at a host of prestigious workshops, including The Swannanoa Gathering, Summersongs, Wintersongs, Moab Folk Camp and Richard Thompson’s Frets and Refrains.  www.sloanwainwright.com


Jana Stanfield’s compositions have sold over 5 million CDs worldwide, earning her gold and platinum albums.  You’ve heard her music on 20/20, Entertainment Tonight, Oprah, and the movie 8 Seconds, recorded by Reba McEntire and others.  
A multiple Posi Award Winning Artist, and winner of the Grace Note Award for ?? (how do you define that, Sue?), Jana has shared stages with performers ranging from musicians like Kenny Loggins and The Dixie Chicks, to speakers like Deepak Chopra and Lily Tomlin.
Through her Keynote Concerts, Inc., Jana performs at events like TEDx India, TEDxNASA, and she leads volun-tour trips around the world.


Tom Kimmel
Tom Kimmel is one of those unique singer-songwriters whose heartfelt artistry with words and music is both genre-crossing and timeless. Since 1980, when his songs were recorded by Roger McGuinn & Chris Hillman (of Byrds fame) and Levon Helm (of The Band), dozens of his compositions have been covered by a host of major artists including Linda Ronstadt, Johnny Cash, Joe Cocker, Shawn Colvin, Waylon Jennings, the Stray Cats, Randy Travis and the Spinners. Tom’s unique ability to write songs that connect stems from his lifelong career as a touring performer

Harold Payne    Performing songwriter Harold Payne has over100 recordings by acts as diverse as Patti LaBelle, Rod Stewart & long time collaborator, Bobby Womack, and literally from Peter Paul & Mary to Snoop Dogg. He has played just about every imaginable venue - -from amphitheaters to community theaters, festivals to churches; from the Houses of Blues to house concerts, from corporate events to private parties. Along the way, he has developed his own style of audience interaction, which usually includes his notorious song improvisations. He has also opened for the likes of Van Morrison, Kenny Loggins, Collin Raye, Pam Tillis & Hawaiian legend "Iz" (Israel Kamakawiwo`ole).
He is a soulful and charismatic performer who also uses his songwriting superpowers for good~ writing songs of peace, unity, and spiritual social action.
Harold is a 4-time Posi Award Nominee and won his first Posi in 2009 with the powerful song “Stand Together” co-written with Faith Rivera

JD Martin
JD has been a professional songwriter for over 20 years, writing for artists such as Reba McEntire, Terri Clark, Jennifer Paige, Peter Cetera and B.J. Thomas.  JD Martin is an award winning songwriter of 5 Number One and 10 Top Ten hit singles, along with multiple empower Posi Awards.    

Karen Drucker
Karen Drucker has recorded 11 CDs of her original inspirational music and has won numerous awards for her volunteer work for performing and producing shows for organizations in need. Karen has been called a master of communicating presence and spirituality through music. She has been a professional comedienne, led her own band for corporate events, and has been the spokesperson for “Bread and Roses” (performing in
convalescent hospitals, prisons, children’s hospitals, etc.). She started her own organization, “Artists ForA Cause,” to raise awareness and funds for organizations in need by producing concerts featuring local entertainers.
She sings, speaks and leads workshops at women's retreats, mind-body & health conferences and various churches around the country. She also performs music for ministers, workshop facilitators, and authors including Joan Borysenko, SARK,Alan Cohen, Mary Manin Morrissey and many others.
She loves making music, making a difference, and touching hearts.

FREEBO is an award-winning singer/songwriter (2008 Posi Award for “Best Song” in The Most Uniting Category, The '07 Los Angeles Music Awards “Best Folk Artist”, Winner '07 South Florida Songwriting Contest, finalist in 2009 The Great American Songwriting Contest, Finalist in 5 different categories of JPF Awards), but he is probably best known as a Folk-Rock-Blues Icon. For 30 years, Freebo played bass on recordings and toured with some of the great artists of our time--people like Bonnie Raitt (10 years), John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, CSN, Maria Muldaur, Ringo Starr, Michelle Shocked, Neil Young, Loudon Wainwright III, Dr. John, and many others. He has also appeared on Saturday Night Live, Midnight Special, Muppets Tonight, and in concert with the legendary Spinal Tap. It was his yearning for more creative expression, however, that drove Freebo to begin a process of deep inner discovery, and this has led to his successful transition as a singer/songwriter.

 Michael and Dyan WOODY
#1 Americana Album on Rounder Records
#1 International Music Award TOP Country Vocal Duo
#1 ASCAP Songwriter (Michael Woody)

On March 3rd, 2013, the Woody's became Ordained Ministers and on July 19th will celebrate 5 years as the founding spiritual directors of the Music City Center For Spiritual Living, a thriving community in Nashville Tennessee.

GOOD WORDS

Last year's emPower Posi Music Festival,  was a jam packed weekend of music, workshops, and fun.  Here's what some of the attendees are saying about the experience.

"Just want to send you a big hug of appreciation for the Posi gathering. It was really amazing. What a thrill to see so many remarkable artists working together to make such meaningful music. We loved it."  (Flossie Ernzen, Licensed Unity Teacher)

"I am SO enriched by the Posi Festival.. thank you so much!"  (Linda Chubbuck, performing artist)

"You organize a really amazing event—I met so many terrific folks whom I can't wait to see again."  (Jeff Brown)

"I feel so blessed to be in this tribe of amazingly gifted, generous, funny, and inspiring people."  (Karen Drucker, Posi artist)

 

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