Allerton Park & Retreat Center

Experience Level: Intermediate (basic musical skills required)

Find your voice as a musical performer at Pieces of Music: A Songwriting Workshop on Saturdays, Oct. 12 through Nov. 2 from 2 to 4 p.m. in The Studio.

The craft of songwriting is made up of creative writing, music theory, poetic practice and working with song fragments and forms. In this course, songwriter and passionate performer Paul Kotheimer will pass along his lifelong love of the writer’s craft, explore music theory with a contemporary focus and present a view of songwriting as an all-inclusive and hands-on human activity.

$175/person*. Register by Sept. 28. All sales are final.

*Students should bring:
— Favorite writing tools (pens, notebooks, etc.)
— The musical instrument they feel most comfortable writing with (typically a guitar or portable electric keyboard with built-in speaker)
— Accessories like guitar picks, capo, tuner, and if possible
— A device to record audio memos, if possible

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.

About The Instructor

Paul Kotheimer has been making songs for 40 years and has made a name for himself locally and regionally as a passionate performer, insightful collaborator, generous teacher and accomplished storyteller-in-song.

He is a veteran of the Champaign-Urbana music scene as a prolific and poetic writer and a DIY recording artist with fans around the world. He is also known as a powerhouse stage performer and a valued member of the local music community.