4 things I learned by attending the Hawaii Songwriting Festival as a mentor
Aloha 'Oe 🌺
FROM THE DESK OF GRAHAM BARTON
NOVEMBER 5, 2022
Dear Sync Beast,
I spent 10 days in paradise to attend the 18th annual Hawaii Songwriting Festival as a mentor and panelist with Marmoset Music. Which means I was brought in to teach production tips, give feedback on peoples’ songs, and unlock more doors for them on their journey.
Review: Incredible.
We broke the trip up into thirds:
Get acclimated
Attend the Festival
Enjoy the Big Island
(Needless to say, we did it right.)
So I sat in on panels and taught some sync principles from my book Tracks That Sync. Along with some advanced production panels where I got to share ab it about my off-kilter production process. Slightly nerve-wracking, totally cathartic. I stand by weird, unorthodox production tricks (keep production weird).
And joined the stage with Ryan Wines (Marmoset) & Madeline Dowling (Doner) for our Choose Your Own ADventure panel. We took the crowd behind the scenes on a complete client-briefed custom music job.
It was an amazing experience to share with all the attendees. If you were there, I love you for showing up and doing that with me.
And we did live Roundtable sessions where we gathered in groups for private, rapidfire feedback on songs, production, and career-building concepts. Attendees shared their songs, asked their questions, got their feedback, and we all participated in an illuminating collaborative experience.
Without further ado, here are 4 things I learned by attending the 2022 Hawaii Songwriting Festival as a mentor:
1. Creatives need to be seen and heard.
Shitty mentors do not see and hear their people for who they are and what they’re amazing at. And I don’t care who you are – If you make something, you were born to share it so that you can make even better things, songs especially.
My Songwriting Roundtables were full of amazingly talented people who showed up to share their work and passion. And that takes so much heart and courage (more on this later). I have so much respect for people who get validation from sharing their work, regardless of quality. Some songs were almost complete, some were half-baked ideas. Others had never been recorded or had barely been written down in notebooks.
People payed songs live, which deepened the group experience. People shared their demos and productions, which added spice and variety. People spoke about their experience as a songwriter and shared what works for them. Everyone was seen and heard that day and it was a truly fulfilling experience.
2. People who pay more, pay more attention.
This festival is in Hawaii, and it can cost a lot of money to attend. Depending on where you’re based, flight prices can totally suck (like they did for me). Plus, the festival partnered with an extremely nice hotel, which also costs money to stay at. And with travel, there are always things you forget you need to buy . . . Magical experiences are EXPENSIVE.
Shelling out money is hard enough as an artist – Trying to develop your career through networking and resources like a festival can cost a lot of money. But the ones who paid to show up, learn, ask, share, and be present truly got the most out of their experience.
I didn’t cross paths with one person who took the festival for granted. And I loved that because it gave me hope that people do in fact give a shit about their career in music. These are the kinds of people we are looking to mentor at Sync Beast. So if that sounds like you, we should talk. The upcoming Sync Beast Roundtables are going to be a lot of fun and packed with value.
3. Someone is always willing to share their experiences.
. . .and share what’s worked for them and what’s helped them get to where they are. But you have to be the one to ask. I hung out with people who wrote monster radio hits – Songs that changed the face of the music licensing industry. And I so soaked up all that talent and energy because I was willing to ask.
If you can always make a point to ASK, then you can find some sliver of hope in their response. You can experience the impact for yourself and use it to bolster your own career. How?
In college, I spent hours on YouTube watching greats like Chris Lord-Alge and Linda Perry work in the studio. This helped me develop industry language and professional thought-patterns without having to be in LA studios. I would obsess over watching Timbaland pitch beats to Jay-Z – A classic video that showed me how nimble and emotionally-detached you truly need to be in this industry, and how bringing heat to the table is always the first priority.
When you’re in the presence of greats (or have access to archive footage for that matter) always ASK about their experience. You’ll be surprised at how much you can learn and actually apply to your own. But you have to be the one to ask.
4. You have to do scary things to grow
For many attendees, this was their first time sharing a piece of their craft with others. As I mentioned in #1, creatives NEED to be seen and heard. What’s the point of creating if you can’t share it with the world?
Unfortunately, no one teaches us how to share our creations. That, stacked with our constant striving to make something better, new, and valuable, adds pressure when it comes time to show up in the world as a creative soul.
In my Roundtable sessions, I heard so many amazing songs that were written in a bedroom. At times, confidence was low – Those who didn’t have a ton of practice sharing their unfinished work naturally gave disclaimers (which are unnecessary when you’re in the right room with the right people). But we pushed through that together.
We were all there for a reason – To become better songwriters, to further our careers, and to grow creatively in an environment we aren’t totally used to. That is to say, real life begins outside our comfort zones. Everyone who showed up to do just that certainly got the most out of their experience.
What can I say? The Hawaii Songwriting Festival was amazing to me. A truly life-changing experience for myself and so many other amazing people on the rise to becoming the artist, producer, or songwriter they’re destined to become. I love that for them.
I plan to return.
Curious about what you could get out of joining a small group of talented individuals on their way to crushing their income ceiling in sync? Keep watching because we’ve got some announcements ahead about the all-new Sync Beast Roundtables starting in 2022 (limited seats available). Get on the waitlist here.
Stay tuned and stay hungry. 🔥
All my best,
Graham Barton
Composer · Mentor · Imperfectionist
@syncbeast.co
Was awesome thank you again Graham