New song school attendee

Festivarian Events Song School
1

Just wondering if those who have been to song school a time or two could offer some tips, suggestions, things to know beforehand, etc, etc… would love any thoughts!
Thank you, Linnea

2

Hi Linnea,

I’ve been to the Song School many times, so here’s my tips.

  1. Try to arrive Sunday afternoon, so you can get your tent setup, and relax in the evening, and get to know the people around you. Arriving Monday morning and trying to get your camp setup in time for the opening of the school will be too hectic.

  2. Most people there are friendly, helpful and supportive. So if you’re an introvert, don’t worry. I was nervous my first time, not knowing anybody there. But before my tent was setup, I had made 4 new friends.

  3. It WILL rain at least once. So prepare.

  4. I used to tell people that it gets cold at nights, so bring warm clothing, but with global warming, that hasn’t been true the last few years. A fleece jacket or hoodie and a cap is about all you need now at night.

  5. There are 3 classes each day, with about 8 options for each class period. There will be tough choices. You can’t do it all. But if you go to one class, and after 5 or 10 minutes, it’s clear that it’s not what you were hoping for, leave and go to your second choice. No point in staying in a class that won’t benefit you.

  6. By Wednesday you may be feeling a little overwelmed. It’s common for people to skip a class and just hang out at their campsite or by the river. And if you’ve got a song idea and are feeling inspired, skip a class and work on it. Afterall, it’s ultimately about writing songs.

  7. Rookies are required to supply beer and wine to the veterans. :wink:

Hope that helps.

3

This is fabulous! Thanks for the advice.

Linnea

4

Hello Mr. Tre,

I posted these questions in the forum yesterday but so far no one has responded to them. Maybe you could help out here?

Some general questions about song school from a newbie:

Roughly how many people attend song school?

If we are planning to camp for song school where can we park our vehicle, i.e… a Toyota Tacoma? Does it require a separate pass for parking?-probably a little late to think about this now but it just occurred to me that I don’t have a parking pass specifically for song school. Can we bring our vehicles close to where we camp, at least to unload them?

In addition to camping gear what other items might one need for school. Obviously an instrument, music and notebooks, pens and pencils come to mind. Anything else I might forget to pack…? Can we charge electronic devices there…phone, laptop, tablet or do we leave those at home?

Do I bring the beater guitar or the good one?

Thanks for your input. Cheers