HINTON, W. Va. -The natural beauty to be found in Summers County’s Camp Waldo inspired Amy McIntire, a local singer-songwriter, to hold a retreat for others in the area who share her passion for music.
“I was just blown away by the beauty and, for lack of a better word, the magic that I felt here, and I thought to myself, I would love to make something really cool happen here, and the coolest thing I could think of as a songwriter, was a songwriter’s retreat…” says McIntire.
This led McIntire to create the Big Bend Songwriters’ Retreat, a three-day overnight getaway for those wanting to learn more about their craft. She approached a music professor who taught her: Shane Adams, a professor of music through Berklee College of Music and Interlochen College of Creative Arts, who traveled from Nashville, Tennessee to take part.
Adams taught many aspects of songwriting, from song structure to overcoming writing block. He also encouraged the students to give their songs a personal connection by being vulnerable in their writing, adding that by being more personal, you make the song more universal.
“I firmly believe music changes the world. Music brings people together. There’s a lot of hurt and anger and fierceness in the world… I’ve taught music all over the world, and music brings people together. It makes people cry. It creates a community experience…” says Adams, “…One of our writers wrote a song about a beekeeper, about how we need bees and how, you know, bees help the earth, and I think the same way… about songs, sharing your personal experience to help make the world a richer place…”
The retreat also allowed students to exchange ideas and work on songs together.
“No one usually hears my songs until they’re complete, you know? Or till I feel like they’re complete…” says Chet Lowther, a student at the retreat, “… Being able to… hear feedback and be able to accept it and then to apply it is ultimately going to help you, no matter what you’re doing…”
Lowther says being able to collaborate with others in the songwriting process takes vulnerability but is a good experience for songwriters. He hopes this retreat will return to Camp Waldo, adding that he encourages other musicians to take part if it does.
McIntire says you can go to the Big Bend Songwriters’ Retreat website or follow their upcoming Facebook page to see announcements about the potential return of this retreat. In the meantime, you can learn more about Adams’s music and discover year-round songwriting education at his website.
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