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GROW. LEARN. LEAD.

  • Undergraduate
  • Division of Music
  • 2021 Songwriting Intensive

Gloria Gaither's Songwriting Intensive

Upcoming event:
June 17 - 20, 2021

Register here

view schedule   |   view cost information

“Building relationships with various artists in the field of songwriting was, is, and will continue to be a hallmark of what this event is. I truly believe that IWU's reputation was not only strengthened but will spread to areas we have yet to reach as we had attendees from all over the world.”
-Todd Syswerda, Professor of Music and head of Songwriting program at IWU

Dive into the art of songwriting as a means of storytelling with award-winning and seasoned songwriters. You will be enriched by participants from around the world in a weekend of classes and collaboration. 

  

LETTER FROM GLORIA GAITHER

MEET THE 2021 CLINICIANS

gloria-gaither-songwriting-iwu.png     gloria gaither 

Gloria Gaither is a celebrated songwriter, author, speaker, editor, and academic. She is the wife of Bill Gaither, and together they have written more than over 700 songs, made hundreds of recordings, received numerous awards, written a dozen musicals and a collection of books. They are the parents of three grown children and grandparents to seven.

Gloria’s writing spans a wide range of subjects and genres from non-fiction inspirational books to books for children, from contributions to academic journals to magazine editorials, from video scripts to lyrics to country, gospel, and children’s songs and musicals. She and Bill’s songs and recordings have received dozens of Grammy and Dove Awards, and the actual licenses for mechanical usage of their songs in the 20th century earned them the ASCAP Christian Songwriters of the Century Award. They have both been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Gloria is a lover of words, and has always been a student of literature. She holds a cum laude undergraduate degree with majors in English, Sociology and French and a Master's degree in Literature with special emphasis in the works of John Steinbeck – she has presented papers and reviews on Steinbeck in a variety of academic settings. She has received eight honorary doctorates from various universities.

As an educator, Gloria has taught English and French in high school and Songwriting at the collegiate level. She continues to mentor young artists and songwriters. She served for more than two decades on the Board of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, and her passion for educating and encouraging songwriters motivated her to start the Gaither Songwriting Intensive now held on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University.  Her blog “Love Song to My Life” is widely read around the world.

Becky-Norquist-2.jpg     becky nordquist

Becky Nordquist is a West Michigan based speaker, author, worship leader, songwriter, and recording artist.  Blending the musical sounds of pop, gospel, and folk, she offers an eclectic feel to worship and Christian Contemporary music. Becky studied with a variety of vocal coaches throughout her upbringing (studying everything from jazz and gospel to classical) and developed the ability to sing many different genres of music, giving her a sound that is unique and powerful.

Not a stranger to trauma, grief and loss, Becky breathes into her music the undertones of someone who has honestly traveled those roads and wrestled the dark places of faith necessary to knowing God in a deeply intimate way. In collaboration with Music for the Soul, Becky has just released the poignant project, "Before We Said Hello,” which has already received multiple accolades from various media professionals and is highly regarded by those who are currently walking the journey of pregnancy and infant loss.

Her mission is to bring the mercy, grace, and love of God to those who are broken, wandering and wondering where God is in the midst of their suffering, as well as lead His people into deep, honest and "All In" devotion.

NATALIE-GRANT-Approved-Color-Press-Image.jpg     NaTalie Grant

As an Eight-time GRAMMY® nominee and Five-time GMA Dove Awards Female Vocalist of the Year, Natalie Grant has become an icon in Christian & Gospel music. In addition to garnering more than 500 million streams and multiple number #1 albums and singles on the Billboard Charts, she is also a respected songwriter, author and philanthropist. She is the co-founder of Hope for Justice, a non-profit organization in the fight against human trafficking, which has 32 offices across 9 countries and 5 continents and has helped 102,803 children in the last year.

smith.jpg     Michael w. Smith

Michael W. Smith has been releasing new music regularly and performing around the world to sold-out crowds for the last thirty five-plus years. During his storied career, he's written and recorded over thirty-six No. 1 songs, been honored with three GRAMMY® Awards, forty-five Dove Awards, one American Music Award, was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and has sold more than fifteen million albums. Amassing an in-depth catalog of achievements, Smith was recently honored by a myriad of legendary performers with a star-studded tribute concert in Nashville, TN, to celebrate his collection of No. 1s. His recent USA Today, Yahoo! Music and Billboard acclaimed studio album, A Million Lights; and Parade, Good Morning America-featured and GRAMMY nominated live worship album, Surrounded, have together become his thirtieth and thirty-first Top 10 projects on Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart, more than any other solo artist in history. In October 2020, he released a longtime passion album, STILL Vol. 1, an atmospheric listening experience of improvisational music coupled with inspirational scriptures. More than just an outstanding songwriter and performer, Smith has given back to the global community throughout his career. Smith has raised funds to battle AIDS in Africa; started Rocketown, a safe haven for young people in Tennessee to meet and find hope; and has helped more than 70,000 children through Compassion International. He has also written several bestselling books, including Old Enough To Know and Friends Are Friends Forever.

todd-syswerda.jpg     TODD SYSWERDA

Todd is the coordinator of Songwriting, Music Composition, and Music Theory at Indiana Wesleyan University.  Since starting at IWU in 2000, he has created and developed both the Music Composition Program and, with the guidance of Gloria Gaither, the Songwriting Program. 

As an educator, Todd has proven to take the complexities of various creative pursuits, and present them in manageable portions to help his students find success.  This ability, combined with his own success as a Songwriter, makes him a much sought after clinician and mentor within the world of musical and lyrical creation. 

Todd would say he is a storyteller who has been trained in music and much of his time is spent creating in the realm of Musical Theater, both for the stage and the screen.  However, he strives to combine his two worlds, Songwriter and Educator, as often as possible by allowing his students to serve as integral parts of realizing his works and making them available to listeners around the world.

 

COMMENTS FROM PAST ATTENDEES

Just wanted to say “great job” pulling off a fantastic songwriting intensive. I know such programs take a lot of work and coordination, and you and your team of students and others were awesome! I enjoyed learning over the two days and can’t wait to return. I’m hoping to bring my Dad along with me next year. 

First of all, THANKS for all you did to make the Gaither’s songwriting weekend so memorable and enjoyable. I can’t imagine how it could have been any better! You and your staff and the volunteers did an excellent job. As far as I could tell…..everything ran smoothly. The food, fun, and fellowship was perfect.

We are still processing and reeling from the awesome intensive!!

Fantastic Job! I really enjoyed your class and the beautiful campus. You have excellent students that respect you. What a wonderful testimony to God’s faithfulness to see the next generation praising God with their talents.

A word from the president...

Do you recognize the names Cindy Morgan, Buddy Greene, Nichole Nordeman, Michael Kelly Blanchard or Gloria Gaither? These influential songwriters were on the IWU campus last week as part of Gloria Gaither’s annual Songwriting Intensive.  

In past years, this event has taken place at the Gaither Family Resources (GFR) headquarters in Alexandria, Indiana but Bill and Gloria have decided to close the GFR in order to focus their attention on other things.  Gloria made the request that IWU host the 2019 Songwriting Intensive – an opportunity that Todd Syswerda, IWU-Marion Professor of Music, was happy to accept.

In addition to the famous songwriters listed above an additional 40 people attended this intensive.  In January 2016, Gloria Gaither was instrumental in assisting the launch of our songwriting major. Hosting this Songwriting Intensive allows our songwriting majors the opportunity to volunteer and attend the majority of sessions. 

The recognition gained for IWU and specifically the music department within the Christian songwriting community is hard to quantify. We are grateful for this opportunity and look forward to seeing how God will use it to flourish the mission of IWU.

David Wright, Ph.D.
President
Indiana Wesleyan University

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GLORIA GAITHER ON SONGWRITING

 


 

Proposed Schedule (exact times still being determined):

THURSDAY FRIDAY

 

SATURDAY SUNDAY

Check-in (afternoon)

Breakfast

Breakfast

Breakfast

Dinner

Session 1

Session 3

Check-out

Meet clinicians
Discuss the weekend

Lunch/
Free time

Lunch/
Free time

Worship service

Informal ice cream social

Session 2

Session 4

Lunch

 

Dinner

Dinner  

 

Evening Session

Evening Session  

Cost

Participants will receive the following for a total cost of $659:

  • Four 3-hour sessions (12 hours total)
  • Two "bonus" evening sessions
  • Nine meals
  • Refreshments

Housing is not included in the total cost. Participants can choose to stay on the IWU campus in apartments at a cost of $70 total for all three nights (NOT per night).

Registration

To begin the registration process, click the button below, which will take you to the IWU’s “Iris Conference” page where you will create an account. You will not be charged anything for setting up an Iris Conference account.

Register here

WANT TO PURSUE A DEGREE IN SONGWRITING?

IWU is proud to partner with Gloria Gaither in curriculum development for the BACHELOR OF ARTS IN MUSIC WITH AN EMPHASIS IN SONGWRITING DEGREE AT INDIANA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY.

IWU's songwriting program blends the disciplines of music, writing, literature, and theology and is geared toward the foundational creation of songs, building them from the lyric up.
Explore the songwriting program at IWU
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