SONGWORDS
Join a Community of Women Songwriters & Turbo Charge:
Your Creativity
Your Songwriting
Your Career
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Songwords is a private online group container for women who are ready to create their own authentic body of work and put it out into the world with full commitment.
No hiding, no procrastinating, no excuses. Just consistent, imperfect action, inspiration and accountability.
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Artistic women,
dreamers, singers, plotters, schemers,
lovers, misfits, poets, musicians, scribblers of words, notebook buyers,
midnight-readers,
women who have art knocking on the door of their brain screeming “FFS let me ouuuuuuutttt!!!”
adventurers, nerds, vixens, weightlifters,
women who want to create songs, poems, stories, albums, lyrics, gigs. Who have waited and waited and waited for the right time to do it themselves and who are finished waiting.
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Although there are household name women artists, just 12.7% of professional songwriters and composers in the UK are women.
And despite initiatives to have women artists headlining more festivals – it remains at 13% (2022).
What can we do to bust through and help to make this a level playing field?
What is getting in our way?We are on a mission to help women bust through the procrastination, perfectionism and anxiety that thwarts creative power and stops women’s music in its tracks. We want to get more women creating songs, albums and creative careers, headlining stages and touring!
If we claim that we want more female role models in our society, we must be ready to become one.
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90 min 1-2-1 kickstart: we hash out what it is we want and then create the pathway to get it.
Fortnightly Group Calls: Bi-weekly group calls digging into poetics, inspiration, accountability, creative tools, career strategy and mindset. Plus hotseat coaching to make sure everyone feels supported as we go along.
4 X 1-2-1 bespoke coaching calls to schedule when you want and need.
Voxer A walkie-talkie messaging app to receive support whenever you need it between group calls. (Don’t worry if you don’t know what this is)
Bonus Workshops from guest experts including playwright and poet Caroline Bird and women’s leadership expert and artist Dannie-Lu Carr.
Private Facebook Group to share work, inspiration, ideas, fears and wins.
Live performance opportunities with Sarah! Who wants to play in a leading venue in London?
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Songwords is a minimum 6-month commitment.
It takes this long to break old habits and establish new ones.
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An incandescent presence with superior lyrics. The Guardian ★★★★
Beat poet adventurer who strays beyond the realm of singer songwriter. MOJO ★★★★
Yearningly pretty and bittersweet. The Independent ★★★★★
Like Dylan on amphetamines. The Financial Times ★★★★
Streetwise and romantic, tender and tough. The Daily Telegraph ★★★★
Anglo-American Sarah Gillespie is a critically acclaimed singer songwriter. She’s released 4 albums in the last 10 years and composes music for TV & film. She’s toured all over the world for a decade headlining iconic venues (Ronnie Scott’s - London, Blue Note - Milan, CBGB's New York) festivals in Europe (Ibiza Jazz Festival, Women of the World Festival - London, Berlin Songwriter Festival) and venues in the USA.
Gillespie’s played live on flagship BBC Arts and current affairs shows to millions of listeners (she has a master’s degree in Politics and Philosophy) and a collection of her poetry and lyrics was published by Oxford’s Albian Beatnik Press in 2018. Gillespie started mentoring women artists during the lockdown and has since launched her own academy for women songwriters. She is passionate about helping women uplevel their artistic output and transform their talents into careers.
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How to alchemize fear and doubt into a powerhouse body of work.
How to compose authentic songs that could only come from you!
How to banish writers block forever.
How to unleash your FULL talent in composition and performance.
How to transform sketches, doodles and ideas into a career that wields income and freedom.
How Sarah’s Mentoring helped Other Artists?
Kate Trajan // Singer-Songwriter
"This was the most empowering music course I have ever taken. I’ve had years of classical music training, taken conservatory courses for jazz performance, attended songwriter camps and music industry forums, and Sarah's program is what I would recommend to any woman who knows her musical expression needs to be set free. Sarah will light a fire under you.
Sarah was unrelenting in her demands for me to create NOW, and at the same time completely understanding of all the life and humanness that gets in the way. This was the power of this program. The work helped me identify and smash the things stopping me from creating and sharing my music, alongside other brilliantly talented women who run into so many of the same challenges.
And 1-2-1 sessions with Sarah dived deep into my writing, my songcraft and the next steps I need to take to get my music out into the world. If you know there is music in you that needs to get out, give it the best chance of coming to life and invest in this program”
“Desire, fear, absurdity, anger, disappointment, lust, terror and bliss is our recipe.
Transform your feelings into art and your art into your legacy.”
How Sarah’s Mentoring Helped Other Artists?
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Polly Gibbons - Singer-Songwriter // Vocalist
I tentatively approached Sarah regarding musical musings I’ve had, and within 3 months of sessions with her, I’ve marked my album launch date! She has provided an unflinching firmness that it would be a good idea if my songs found their way to fruition. She has clever exercises to aid the writing process, which have put more detail and imagery in my work. But most of all for me, because she is a self-observing creator, she easily turns on its head paralysing self-criticism, with a bluntness suffused with kindness which led me to feel in very safe hands and as though I can do it - so I am! www.pollygibbons.com
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Marta Capponi - Singer-Songwriter // Vocalist
Sarah is a 360º artist, an inspiration of dedication, passion, freedom, knowledge, empathy. She is a master of language and working with her it was so deep - finally my emotions became words within my new songs. She empowered me and believed in me from day 1 of our journey, she pushed me to be myself and proud of it with all my imperfections, and helped me bloom as an artist. It is rare to find a mentor like her and I am so grateful I did. www.martacapponi.com
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Jess Bettesworth - // Singer-Songwriter
We have been working with Sarah for the past year for our daughter Jess (18) on the Songwriting mentorship programme and so much more. Sarah has been brilliant - so straightforward, amazingly talented, a great mentor and so encouraging of budding songwriting talent. Knowing nothing of the industry - we have felt in excellent hands, our daughter loves her and it’s now like working with a professional friend! Could not recommend her highly enough.
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Fini Bearman - Singer-Songwriter // Mentor // Artist
Sarah has helped me to engage more fully with aspects of my songwriting, to dig deeper into the text and the emotion behind it and find the confidence to follow my instincts when developing ideas. She’s also empowered me with the business elements of my career, helping me identify my unique skillset both as artist and practitioner and evolve what I offer as a teacher and mentor. I feel much more equipped and empowered in my work to generate income doing what I love most as an artist. I now have a much stronger sense of conviction, purpose and self belief. www.finibearman.com
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Kate Trajan // Singer-Songwriter
This was the most empowering music course I have ever taken. I’ve had years of classical music training, taken conservatory courses for jazz performance, attended songwriter camps and music industry forums, and Sarah's program is what I would recommend to any woman who knows her musical expression needs to be set free. Sarah will light a fire under you. Sarah was unrelenting in her demands for me to create NOW, and at the same time completely understanding of all the life and humanness that gets in the way. This was the power of this program. The work helped me identify and smash the things stopping me from creating and sharing my music, alongside other brilliantly talented women who run into so many of the same challenges. And personal sessions with Sarah dived deep into my writing, my songcraft and the next steps I need to take to get my music out into the world. If you know there is music in you that needs to get out, give it the best chance of coming to life and invest in this program. www.katetrajan.com
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Emma Gawlinski - Musician // Writer
Sarah gave me the jump start I needed. She helped me with mindset, confidence and accountability to start writing again and provided literary and philosophical inspiration with reading, exercises and discussion. She made me feel my voice was valid and helped me hone the best of my creativity. She is non-judgemental, decisive, with an acute ear for powerful language, for dramatic tension and has a great sense of humour and incredible empathy. Her years of songwriting, performing all over the world, painting, and writing poetry brilliantly inform her teaching. I'm currently working on a collection of poems and she is already pointing me towards ways of publishing. www.emmagawlinski.com
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Nell Greco - Singer-Songwriter // Vocalist
Sarah is a powerhouse of knowledge and creativity. She has helped me to tap into underappreciated resources within myself and find new ways of exploring self-expression through several artforms, as well as supporting me along each step of my creative journey (no matter how wobbly it may have been!). Her insight, empathy and enthusiasm throughout my mentorship have enabled me to develop a body of work I'm truly proud of. www.nellgreco.com
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Dannie-Lu Carr - Theatre Director // Actor // Singer-Songwriter
Sarah brings everything to the table - she is razor sharp at grabbing hold of what you are about as an artist, stretching it, mirroring it and holding you fully accountable whilst maintaining a fully supportive, witty and championing spirit. I went from a chaos of half-finished poems, songs, a chunk of a novel and no particular direction - to writing a full album and planning how to execute it from start to finish of the 12 weeks. Sarah’s mentoring programme will force you to take yourself seriously as a creative practitioner with no option to hide in the shadows. It was everything I needed and more. www.dannielucarr.com
