WE HELP YOU BETTER YOUR SONG! COMPASS Song Improvement Master Class Workshop

Open to anyone who wishes to improve his/her song through a master class session where our appointed panel lists will review your works and offer advice on: melody, lyrics and chord progression.

Organized by: Composers & Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS)
Supported by: SERENDIP SHOWBIZ

Do I need to pay for this workshop?
No you dont! COMPASS believe in supporting the local music scene. Hence, Song Improvement Workshop was borned. Our Workshop Series are OPEN TO PUBLIC and FREE FOR ALL songwriters residing locally (COMPASS members or members to be).
This is one unique programme open to anyone who wish to improve his/her song with hired Panel-Experts to review, comment, compliment, critique and offer advice where necessary. We engage a Melody expert, Lyrics expert and Chord Progression expert for every session. To understand their background and their credibility, scroll down and have a look at their biographies below!

Are the workshops a series?
Yes they are. They are, however, not interlinked. You are free to attend one workshop or more. COMPASS organized a total of TEN sessions in 2011 and 2012. Venue proudly sponsored by Library@Esplanade!
Now this series is back by popular demand! COMPASS and Serendip have now talked terms with Republic Polytechnic and owner of The Reel Room…our subsequent workshops will be held at several venues, dates and venues TBC. To stay updated of where and when the next workshop is…follow us on Facebook @www.facebook.com/Compass.For.Songwriters!

OBJECTIVE
To help songwriters “perfect” their songs, through a process of master class consultation.

PAYBACK
Our Songwriters will have their songs improved with the help of the experts. These participants may have a better chance at becoming more skilled in this challenging craft.

REGISTRATION
Register for a SLOT (8 slots per session; first-come basis) via call / email / facebook.

Email: fionachia@compass.org.sg and serendip.productions@gmail.com with your submission.
Submission should include: Registration Form, Name, Mobile number, Lyric Sheet / Chord Chart and mp3.

The first 8 registrants with complete submission will be allocated a slot for each session. Confirmation of slot allocation will be confirmed via phone call/email and programme timeline will be uploaded on COMPASS’s facebook under notes.

FORMAT
Panel of consultant-experts

Lyrics : Ms Stella KON / Mr Leon FOO
Melody : Mr Kevin MATHEWS / Ms Elaine Chan/ Mr Don Richmond
Chord : Mr Raymond Rodrigues / Mr Woon Chin Chang/ Mr Peng Chi Sheng

SESSION Activities

• One song per person per session.
• You can come again on other sessions with another new song, or an improved version of the same song.
• One songwriter gets 15 mins (max) advisory time with the Panel.
• You share-discuss the song, and the Experts comment, advise.

The others, and the public, can be audience and observe the process, and learn from the comments made by the Experts. During these sessions, each consultant-expert gives 10 min sharing on their area of expertise.

PANEL OF EXPERTS – BIOGRAPHY

Ms Elaine Chan

Best known for the recent LTA jingle Love Your Ride, NDP 2005 theme song Reach Out for the Skies, this popular theatre composer-arranger-director has garnered songwriting awards in her teens, wrote and directed her 1st full length musical score at 18, toured south of New Zealand, recipient of the Wong Yee Hua Memorial Music Excellence Award, 1st Singaporean female composer to music direct the National Day Parade@Padang 2005 and together with Selena Tan, to be nominated for this year’s Life Theatre Award in musical writing for Cinderellah!

Her prolific portfolio encompass musical direction, original writing & arrangements for all Dream Academy Productions’ of Dim Sum Dollies, SingDollar, Hossan Leong & Broadway Beng Shows, the 1st Crazy Christmas, all 5 Wild Rice’s Pantomimes : CinderellaH! Jack and the Beansprout!, Aladdin, Snow White & Beauty and the Beast.

Her corporate engagements include CD projects, recordings, jingles for Sentosa, charity concerts, orchestrations for the 2010 Singapore Youth Festival Opening Ceremony as well as vocal arrangements and direction for the 2010 YOG Opening Ceremony.

Her most recent music theatre directions include Wild Rice’s Aladdin 2011, Dream Academy’s Big Band Crazy Christmas Concert & Into the Woods 2011, SingTheatre’s A Singaporean In Paris 2010 & No Regrets 2011, Toy Factory’s megamusicals December Rain & 881.

2012 will see her music direct La Cage aux Folles with Wild Rice, the Beautiful Sunday Mother’s Day Concerts in May and have her write original music to Wild Rice’s year-end pantomime Hansel and Gretel.

Ms Stella Kon

Stella Kon is a Singaporean playwright, novelist, short story writer and poet is best known for her play Emily of Emerald Hill, arguably Singapore’s most performed play. She is a three-time winner of the National Playwriting Competition and a Singapore Literature Prize Merit Award winner for her novel, Eston. In 2008 she received the Southeast Asian Writers Award.

Since 2003 she has written the book and lyrics for several musicals, with various composers – including Exodus and Blue Willow House with Kenneth Lyen, and Lost in Transit, Peter and Pierre, and Legend of the Merlion with Desmond Moey.

Since 2006 she has been the Chairperson of Musical Theatre Live! (MTL) She has had considerable experience in helping new writers improve and hone their works. She has helped to run MTL’s efforts to help writers to create new musicals. She helmed MTL’s Incubation programme, which reviews and critiques the scripts and scores of new musicals, and in various writing/composing workshops organized by MTL.

Mr Leon Foo

Leon FOO is a lawyer by day, playwright and lyricist by night. He has been involved in the writing and staging of plays and musicals since his school days, and has been a prize winner in numerous playwriting competitions, including the Singapore Young Dramatists Awards, the Short + Sweet Theatre Festival (Singapore and Brisbane), the 24-hr Playwriting Competition, and the Action Theatre 10-Minute Play Contest.

Leon has also been working closely with Musical Theatre LIVE! to create the book and lyrics for new and original local musicals, both for the stage and for radio. He has written for Musical Theatre LIVE’s 5 Foot Broadway program, as well as the NUSS*MTL Songwriter Showcase. He hopes to be able to share his experiences in writing lyrics with new writers and composers.

Mr Kevin Mathews

Kevin Mathews is a Singaporean singer-songwriter, perhaps best known for his #1 hit song, “My One & Only” with Watchmen in 1993.

Mathews has released four albums and three EPs with Watchmen, The Crowd and Popland respectively, which contained memorable songs like “The High Cost of Living”, “This Savage Garden”, “I Love Singapore”, “4 Love”, “Feel the Same Way”, “(As Strong As) A Mountain”, “Here” and “Beautiful”. Mathews also contributed the songs “Keep the Faith” and “Always” to the film soundtracks of Be With Me and The Carrot Cake Conversations respectively.

In addition, Mathews is an accomplished film score writer, and has composed music for all of acclaimed Singapore director Eric Khoo’s feature films viz. Mee Pok Man, 12 Storeys, Be With Me & My Magic. Mathews has also contributed music to other Singaporean films like Stories About Love, One Leg Kicking, Invisible Children, Lucky 7, Anita’s Complaint and The Carrot Cake Conversations as well as TV series such as Drive and Seventh Month.

Mathews is also a prominent contributor to the Singapore music scene. He is a mentor under the National Arts Council’s Noise Mentorship Programme (for your singer-songwriters) and a judge for the 2009 and 2010 editions of the Baybeats Festival, one of the biggest indie rock festivals in the region.

Mr Ray JR

Ray JR is an experienced and award winning music arranger, composer, and director. His achievements includes arrangements/composition/direction for the Top Green Song 1998 WORLD THAT I LOVE, Bang & Olufsen launch, Re-launch of Singapore Recreation Club, Mac Donald’s, Loose a Million, Najip Ali show, Mtv Asia idents; Wonder of Musicals 2009 (Musical Theatre Limited); 2008 Singapore Paralympic Theme Songs “Best That We Can Be” and “Touch The Sky”; National Education Songs (MOE) 2008 – 2010. He has been a Music arranger and consultant for Steinberg Asia Singapore since 2004, and as a passionate and effective teacher, he has been training many schools to better appreciate music arrangement, and to adopt high technology music tools (PGMUSIC, Steinberg). His knowledge of chord progressions has helped many songwriters improve their work, making their songs “world class.”

Ms Bevlyn Khoo

In 2008, Bevlyn released a 6-track EP album “Lonely Afternoon” which won the ‘Best Independent Album’ award at Singapore Press Holding’s Singapore Entertainment Awards 2009. The album showcases her versatility by featuring five original songs and a gypsy-jazz arranged cover of French classic ‘La Vie En Rose’. The album led Bevlyn to be signed to Japanese label S2S in November that year, and she subsequently released “You Are My Angel” (2009), “Bistro Affair” (2010), and “Feel About You” (2011). Notably, “Bistro Affair” sees Bevlyn as is the only Singaporean singer to have released a full album of French jazz chansons , cementing her status as a versatile singer-song writer in the music scene. The popular album charted top 3 in HMV in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Her latest album “Feel About You” features more original songs amongst classics like “My eyes adored you” (Frankie Valli), “Ordinary World” (Duran Duran), “The One You Love” etc. It also features the popular closing theme song 《保温》from Mediacorp’s blockbuster television series, 《小娘惹》(Little Nyonya). In March 2012, Bevlyn represented Singapore in the HK Pop-Asian Music Festival in Hong Kong. She continues to pursue her dreams as a singer-songwriter the indie route with a deep passion for music on the global stage.

Flexing her creative and entrepreneur qualities, Bevlyn is tying up with Pledgemusic to connect with supporters to raise funds for her second indie album of self-penned orginals scheduled to be released end of February 2013. A method rarely used in this region of the world, a portion of the funds raised must go to “Food from the heart”, a charity she’s passionate about.
She is also nominated for the prestigious Yahoo! Singapore 9 Award under the Entertainment catergory.

Mr Peng Chi Sheng

Chi Sheng (冯启胜)is one of the directors of InTune Music School, and has 10 years of music teaching experience in Singapore. He specializes in pop songwriting and sing-and-play courses, and has achieved Honours for the London College of Music Pop Vocals Grade 8 Examinations, as well as a Bachelor of Arts Degree – Upper 2nd Class Honours in Recording Arts from Middlesex University, in partnership with the School of Audio Engineering (SAE) Institute, Singapore. He also has qualifications in Grade 8 (Theory and Practical) Classical Piano from the Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM).

As a songwriter, Chi Sheng has published a number of songs for various artistes, including Kasih Indah (Love is Beautiful) for the NTUC ‘U Care’ compilation album in 2009, 《这次是真的》for Hong Kong Artiste Tony Leung Chiu Wai, 《时限》for Regional Artiste Maggie Teng, and also 《到达》, co-written with Joey Yap, which was the theme song for local arts film “Smell of Rain” in Singapore Film Festival 2006, starring local artiste Nat Ho.

In terms of production experience, Chi Sheng was the Assistant Producer for Cultural Medallion Winner Dr. Liang Wern Fook’s (梁文福) 1st instrumental CD, “Please Tell Her” 《请你告诉她》, launched in 2011. He also played 5 of the instrumental tracks on this CD, including hits like 《担心》by Kit Chan，《想着你的感觉》by Eric Moo and《你的倒影》by Hong Shao Xuan and Yan Li Ming. Chi Sheng also produced a Great Eastern advertisement jingle, which was aired on TV in 2007.

Mr Joel Nah

Joel Nah is a stage-music director, arranger, orchestrator and composer. Joel frequently collaborates with Cultural Medallion award-winner Iskandar Ismail and local musical composer-veteran Elaine Chan! Currently teaching music at Raffles Girl School, Joel’s production credits include: La Cage Aux Folles, Wicked (Singapore), Spring Awakening, The Lion King musical (Singapore 2011).

Equally adept in classical music, jazz and pop genres, and anything in between, Joel has arranged and scored both live and recorded music for chiors, vocal groups, brass ensembles, big bands, strong quartets, rock groups and full orchestra. Having completed a certificate in Sound Design with Berklee College of Music, Joel is currently venturing into the realm of electronic music and sound design.

Mr Woon Chin Chang

Chin Chang is an accomplished Choral Director who has won awards such as the Harmony Awards 2000. His specialty is a cappella choral arrangements which require a keen sense of chord movements and harmonies. ChinChang is also a versatile pianist who has accompanied many singers and he has also attained Teacher’s Grade levels with the Yamaha Music School in Singapore. His a cappella group JUST US appeared in the local TV Variety Show GURMIT’S WORLD. He sings beautifully, and he continues to be active in church choirs and in the local music scene.

LEGAL
The song still belongs to the writer, no matter what input the “Panel-Expert” gives.

Event Producer – DEZZ MOEY
COMPASS Coordinator – FIONA CHIA
For more photos, visit albums on www.facebook.com/Compass.For.Songwriters

Organized by:

Supported by:

Workshop 1 to 10 sponsored by:

Workshop 11 sponsored by:

Workshop Year End Showcase 2012 sponsored by:

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