Songwriting with John McCutcheon - October 1, 2025
“John McCutcheon is not only one of the best musicians in the USA, but also a great singer, songwriter, and song leader. And not just incidentally, he is committed to helping hard-working people everywhere to organize and push this world in a better direction.”
—Pete Seeger
“The most impressive instrumentalist I’ve ever heard.”
— Johnny Cash
One-Day Songwriting Intensive with John McCutcheon
October 1, 2025
1pm - 7:30pm
In this one-day workshop, John will cover the following:
First and foremost, not only the “how,” but the “why” of songwriting
How to prepare for writing: environment, inspiration, prompts
The architecture of a song
The role of each of the elements in a song
How to make these different elements work together
Additionally, John will cover:
Editing
The basics of music theory that every songwriter needs to know
The liberating art of learning to be a good co-writer
What to do next, i.e. when you get back home, how do you keep the fire going?
There will both individual and small-group writing.
If there is time, critiques of songs that participants bring in. (Please don’t be disappointed if we run out of time!)
Participants will share dinner from the folk school pizza oven during this course.
Tuition: $95
This course is for students 14+
Your Instructor
JOHN MCCUTCHEON
(he/him)
Highly acclaimed folk singer John McCutcheon will return “home” to teach this class. A Wisconsin native and alumnus of St. John’s University, McCutcheon has gone on to write hundreds of songs and garnered more than his share of accolades. His eclectic catalog of ballads, historical songs, children’s songs, love songs, topical satire, fiddle and hammer dulcimer instruments, and even symphonic works are among the broadest in American folk music. His forty-six albums have earned 6 Grammy nominations. His songwriting has been hailed by critics around the world; his song Christmas in the Trenches is considered a classic and was recently named one of the 100 Essential Folk Songs.
In addition to his own writing, John has collaborated with some of the major songwriting talents in the folk music world including Tom Paxton, Si Kahn, Holly Near, Carrie Newcomer, Zoe Mulford, Steve Seskin, and Tom Chapin. With his deep roots in American traditional music, his approach to writing reflects both a simplicity and a layered complexity that creates songs that are always more than they seem. “He is a master at the difficult craft of the ballad,” touted the Boston Globe. “Storytelling with the richness of fine literature,” added the Washington Post. “One of our country’s best songwriters,” said Pete Seeger.