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Songwriting with Clay Mills Part 3 of 4 Video

This entry is part 3 of 4 in the series Songwriting with Clay Mills

It’s been said that the reason for the 1st sentence in copywriting is to get the reader to read the 2nd sentence. And the reason for the 2nd, is to get them to read the 3rd. The reason for the 3rd is to get them to read the 4th, and so on… We know you’re […]

Songwriting with Clay Mills Part 2 of 4 Video

This entry is part 2 of 4 in the series Songwriting with Clay Mills

Why do you write songs? For the joy it brings? To tell the world something you’re thinking or feeling? To make sense of things? In part 2 of Clay Mills’ workshop session, he reminds us that writing songs can’t just be about telling people how you feel. (Not if you want to be successful at […]

Songwriting with Clay Mills Part 1 of 4 Video

This entry is part 1 of 4 in the series Songwriting with Clay Mills

Collaborative songwriting may seem completely foreign to you. Perhaps you’ve always written your own songs, treasuring them like children — so doing a co-write feels like co-dating or co-marriage! Or maybe you’ve been wondering how it would work. Just what does a co-writing session look like? This fall at our Tom Jackson Bootcamp, hit songwriter […]

Colin Huntley Song & Critique Review Video

Your vocals are great, your playing is great, but the audience doesn’t seem to connect with your song every time. Could it be the arrangement isn’t the best? At the risk of sounding cliché, sometimes less is more. In this music makeover, Colin Huntley was shown how a chorus can be shortened to help make […]

Alex Mills Song & Critique Review Video

It’s rehearsal, Tom says, so you poke around and try things out and see if you can take something that’s already pretty sweet, and make it even sweeter. And because it’s rehearsal, if something doesn’t work well — you don’t have to do it that way! Alex Mills, a Barbados artist, made a splash at […]

Donna Clark & Grant Harrison Song & Critique Review Video

Practice in “performance mode,”!  This will help you vocally as well as visually and musically. Singer Donna Clark drove in from Virginia with a dream in her heart and the desire to fight through her stage fright.  Although she had signed up to do a showcase piece, it wasn’t until she was at Bootcamp that […]

Joy Chadwell Song & Critique Review Video

You might say someone is in the groove or in the pocket when you’re referring to playing tight rhythmically. But you also need to be in the pocket when you’re talking about your style onstage! In this Bootcamp showcase, singer Joy Chadwell was looking and sounding a little unsure of exactly what style this song […]

Solveig and Stevie Song & Critique Review Video

With this folk pop song, Tom shows how an intro can be taken out of time to create some variation in the tempo of a song. He also talks about relationships between the singers and players onstage, movement, and non-verbal cues. Having the courage to take risks in your rehearsal means greater development as a […]

Tom Answers Your Questions: Tour Support Training

You probably have questions about the Tour Support Program, your appeal, and more. I want to answer them! Because if I can help you with what you do for your charity, you’ll get better response from your audiences, and (bottom line) more children will be sponsored. To get the ball rolling, I had a few […]

Jackson Thatcher Song & Critique Review Video

Most performers don’t realize their audience doesn’t know or understand everything they are doing or saying. When Jackson Thatcher performed at a Tom Jackson Bootcamp showcase recently, he assumed the audience knew who Jason Scheff was (bassist & singer for the band Chicago). So when speaking to your audience, Tom says, explain, make it interesting, […]