Americana Song Academy hits sweet note

Benji Nagel, left, works with mentor Chuck Pyle. photo by Jim Mitchell In its third year, the Americana Song Academy is a hands-on school for aspiring song writers. This year Steve Seskin, Eliza Gilkyson, and Chuck Pyle, instructed the program.

Held at Cascadia Ranch outside Sisters, the "camp" has grown from 12 to 35 students. Classroom instruction and individual mentoring were combined with free time in which to write and sing new songs.

According to Festival Artistic Director Brad Tisdel, "It's a really empowering experience for musicians of all ages to come here and immerse themselves in songwriting and instruction."

Chuck Pyle, who was a main stage performer at the festival, said, "The camp? It's the most hands-on, it's the most stimulating in personal growth. Really, personal growth is what songwriting is all about from an artistic standpoint. I think the songwriting school is ultra comfort and speed. It has some efficiency in how people here are on a fast curve up."

The age profile showed 65- to 70-year-olds from Victoria, B.C. and California. At the other end of the age spectrum, seven Sisters High School Americana Project students received scholarships through local fundraisers.

Core classes occupied all students in the morning. Classes included a hands-on writing class, a "slam-pickin'" guitar class, advanced melody/lyrics (the craft of songwriting, some on performing), and mentoring sessions (one-on-one instruction).

George Rogers, from Redding, California, at the school for the second time, said, "You've got to take the chance of making mistakes and be very vulnerable. We want to be the 'village' that's talked about and let them know (the kids) that there is a village. It matters to the kids and it matters to the adults."

Casey Pyke is a Sisters High School senior enrolled in the Americana Project. Pyke's brother came to camp last year and thought it was "really awesome."

Casey described his experience, "I've started three songs so far up here. I don't do that very often. We have a lot of freedom to go anywhere to play. The instructors will give us an idea for something and we can, right now, come down and play it. I'm having a lot of fun."

Dennis McGregor, last year's songwriting contest winner, came to the first songwriting camp because Brad Tisdel needed one more "body" to make the camp happen. He didn't really think one could be "taught" songwriting.

McGregor related, "So I went. And an amazing thing happened. Which was, I got kind of caught up in the spirit of it all -- and I learned stuff from the instructors."

He entered the songwriting contest the next year -- and won. He has since recorded his first solo CD and started his own record label.

"I think the thing that really hit me about this is in normal life you are not around songwriters -- maybe a couple of buddies, that's about it," he said. "Here, you are around 30 people who value it and love it. It does something for you, you know? People seek out like-minded people and engage in stuff together. It's the spirit of the thing that really gets them going."