JUL 7-11: Workshopping Songs in Toronto
Join us in Toronto for a fun, exciting, and rewarding week of songwriting, taking a look inside hit songs, performing, and re-writing your songs with professional mentors.
*** ALSO click here for our ONLINE WORKSHOP in FEBRUARY 2025 ***
We’ve been doing this every year since 2005, and it just keeps getting better. We will spend a week together, day and night, focused on songwriting, as we:
- Look at what makes great songs work so well
- Write new songs with step-by-step writing and co-writing
- Work YOUR songs with our professional mentors, to make you a better songwriter
- Share the songs you’ve finished and the ones that you’re still working on, in a safe and friendly space
- Join a fabulous community of songwriters who will become your friends and collaborators
- Detour briefly into important non-songwriting music business topics on Industry Day
Location – Hugh’s Room Live
We’re thrilled to be partnering with Hugh’s Room Live, as we have many times in the past. Our entire program will be taking place at the new Hugh’s Room Live location at 296 BROADVIEW AVENUE in Toronto.
Evening performance events (Tuesday and Wednesday) will be at Toronto live venues (to be announced), and our end-of-week showcase (Thursday) will be on the main stage at Hugh’s Room Live with our all-star house band.
Your Mentors
Along with our intrepid SongStudio team (Blair Packham and Allister Bradley), you will work with our team of songwriting mentors who are sure to elevate your songwriting.
*** Our mentors’ schedules typically prevent us from publicly confirming their participation until closer to the workshop, so stand by as we announce this year’s mentors. ***
CHECK OUT THE LIST of this year’s mentors and past mentors and prepare to be amazed!
Schedule: Monday July 7 – Friday July 11, 2025
** All times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (Toronto). **
** Schedule is subject to change. Check back to see updates. **
Monday, July 7
9:30 – 10:00am | Arrival and Mingling |
10:00 – 11:15am | Welcome to SongStudio |
11:15 – 11:30am | BREAK / Sign-up for Afternoon Workshopping |
11:30am – 12:45pm | Breaking The Ice Let’s get to know one another |
12:45 – 2:00pm | LUNCH BREAK (enjoy local restaurants or bring your own lunch) |
2:00 – 5:00pm | Song Workshops Small groups, each with a workshop leader. Participants each perform a song and seek suggestions from the mentor. TODAY’S MENTORS INCLUDE: TBA |
5:00 – 5:30pm | BREAK (and finish up workshopping) |
5:30 – 6:45pm | Keynote Address With our guest keynote speaker TBA |
Tuesday, July 8
9:30 – 10:00am | Arrival and Mingling |
10:00 – 11:15am | What’s Going On In That Song? We’ll take apart a great song and see how its parts all fit together to make it awesome |
11:15 – 11:30am | BREAK / Sign-up for Afternoon Workshopping |
11:30am – 12:45pm | Writing Together |
12:45 – 2:00pm | LUNCH BREAK (enjoy local restaurants or bring your own lunch) |
2:00 – 5:00pm | Song Workshops Small groups, each with a workshop leader. Participants each perform a song and seek suggestions from the mentor. TODAY’S MENTORS INCLUDE: TBA |
5:00 – 7:00pm | DINNER BREAK (enjoy local restaurants or bring your own dinner) |
7:00 – 10:00pm | Open Mic Location TBA |
Wednesday, July 9
9:30 – 10:00am | Arrival and Mingling |
10:00 – 11:15am | What’s Going On In That Song? We’ll take apart a great song and see how its parts all fit together to make it awesome |
11:15 – 11:30am | BREAK / Sign-up for Afternoon Workshopping |
11:30am – 12:45pm | Writing Together |
12:45 – 2:00pm | LUNCH BREAK (enjoy local restaurants or bring your own lunch) |
2:00 – 5:00pm | Song Workshops Small groups, each with a workshop leader. Participants each perform a song and seek suggestions from the mentor. TODAY’S MENTORS INCLUDE: TBA |
5:00 – 7:00pm | DINNER BREAK (enjoy local restaurants or bring your own dinner) |
7:00 – 10:00pm | Open Mic Location TBA |
Thursday, July 10
9:30 – 10:00am | Arrival and Mingling |
10:00 – 11:15am | What’s Going On In That Song? We’ll take apart a great song and see how its parts all fit together to make it awesome. |
11:15 – 11:30am | BREAK / Sign-up for Afternoon Workshopping |
11:30am – 12:45pm | Writing Together |
12:45 – 2:00pm | LUNCH BREAK (enjoy local restaurants or bring your own lunch) |
2:00 – 5:00pm | Song Workshops Small groups, each with a workshop leader. Participants each perform a song and seek suggestions from the mentor. TODAY’S MENTORS INCLUDE: TBA |
5:00 – 8:00pm | DINNER BREAK (enjoy local restaurants or bring your own dinner) |
8:00 – 10:30pm | SHOWCASE NIGHT With a rockin’ all-star house band to accompany our songwriters |
Friday, July 11
9:30 – 10:00am | Arrival and Mingling |
10:00 – 11:15am | Let’s Hear What You’ve Written Songs you’ve written or re-written this week. Perform live or play a recording. |
11:15 – 11:30am | BREAK |
11:30am – 12:45pm | Industry Day Guest Interview Because it’s not always just about the songwriting. Blair chats with TBA. |
12:45 – 2:00pm | LUNCH BREAK (enjoy local restaurants or bring your own lunch) |
2:00 – 4:30pm | Demo Derby Pitch a song (pre-recorded) to our panel of industry experts, and hear what they have to say about your song and the music market. TODAY’S DEMO DERBY PANELISTS INCLUDE: TBA |
4:30 – 5:00pm | Group Photo & Farewell Address |
Registration Price
C$899 (+tax) for the full-week program
(SongStudio alumni receive a 10% discount off the full price.)
*** SPECIAL: C$699 (+tax) for registrations received by April 30th, 2025 ***
** Registration does not include travel, accommodation or meals. **