Johnny Laser
GBArt is Work. To Sell it is Art. I can't think of a better way to begin or give a boost to your creativity. Andrea is a great communicator. Even so, there's no magic wand that will make you write better songs, but you'll learn how to write songs better. And unless you're a genius like your mama told you, you need to understand the rules of writing songs that stand a chance of being shared.
Racquel Roberts
GBNY Catskills (in person) Retreat At the NY Catskills Retreat, I found it to be incredible how quickly and gracefully Andrea created a sense of safety within our group of 31. We were mostly introverts, yet because of the container set, we were able to bring our artistic nature forward so we could work. And it was fun. :) Andrea is an intuitive, shrewd, kind, experienced leader. Given her years of experience deep in the craft of being a songwriter herself, she understands how to meet her mentees exactly where they are, and she knows how to elevate them/ their songs to the next level. The tools Andrea shares are practical for all levels of songwriting. At the live retreat, I found the variety of age, skillset, and genre to be interesting and conducive to creating outside of my norm. The live aspect was also an excellent way to gain understanding for co-writing in person. This was new for me. It turned out to be far more fun and do-able than I expected. Whether our partners played an instrument or were primarily a vocalist or lyricist, everyone was able to create a piece of music they could be proud of by the end of each day; everyone contributed, and many of us stretched outside of our comfort zones. I came home even more inspired, with more tools, and a solid group of songwriting comrades with whom I plan to continue co-writing and cheering on. Thank you Andrea, Madison and Myles! I look forward to next year’s retreat.
Strummer
GBAn all-around incredible experience. Highly recommend. I encountered an accomplished, polished, professional writer & educator with an enormous heart and a sincere desire to connect with others on a human level. Not often I encounter people with this level of success in commercial music who are still humble & grounded. She was able to communicate her secrets and techniques in such a way that they were new & fresh to an older writer like me, yet still engage and make those same concepts understandable at a kitchen-table level to those in our cohort who hadn’t really studied songwriting on a professional scale. It would have been easy to spook a new writer with her level of knowledge, yet at no point did I sense anyone feeling overwhelmed or struggling because the material went over their head. So, not an easy task for her. And she made it seem effortless. And at no point was I bored. Not for a second. It would have been quite easy for her to go granular with faculty-speak, yet everything remained pragmatic and accessible. A great handbook accompanying these sessions as well. This retreat is ideal for aspiring songwriters and even helped inspire a high-mileage scribbler like me. Worth every.single.penny.
Emory
GBAWESOME SONGWRITING RETREAT!!! This was my very first songwriting retreat so I didn't quite know what to expect but all expectations were greatly exceeded. Many questions that I had, and many that I didn't realize that I needed the answer to, were answered by Andrea or her guest speakers in such a simple, easy to understand way. I got my writing inspiration back, which was one of my goals with this retreat, and I know what direction I now want to take my music. The only other things that I could have wished for was a personal critique of my songs (which is offered in the VIP package but was sold out when I found out about the retreat) and more time. More time to keep absorbing Andreas wisdom and more time to cowrite with my fellow students. All in all, it was worth every penny! Thank you Andrea, please keep doing these retreats for those of us who love songwriting but need a little help to understand the music industry and our own gifts!
Isabel Hansen
GBAmazing 10/10 Amazing 10/10 Andrea is incredibly knowledgeable about her craft and I was impressed at how thorough and concrete her process and tips were to help construct songs. She was extremely empathetic and attentive with everyone who asked a question and I could tell she had a genuine interest in helping everyone there. If you’re looking to level up your songwriting I’d recommend checking this out.