Are you a songwriter ready for communal magic and a personal creative breakthrough?

Contemplative Songwriting Retreats: The Heart of Songwriting

Join us this fall for a four-day three-night excursion, into the heart of songwriting, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Leave your self-judgement at home, and come prepared to go inwards and discover how easeful and connective it can be to write songs.

This lovely quote has a secret hack in it: when art is inevitable, we make more of it! When we make more art — and finish more songs — we uncover the wisdom of experience. Feel the support of expert facilitation, beautiful natural scenery, and other musical seekers. Together we practice being in that state where art just flows out.

Do the unthinkable!

When we liberate our creative voice, we bypass “the censor”. The inner critic censors so much of our creative expression. Using Nate’s keystone practice, 30 minute songs, you will focus on saying “yes” to what authentically emerges. We’ll practice principles that enable us to totally fall in love what’s coming up, and make choices that land you with a finished song fast. Often Nate or others will give a thoughtful prompt, or you’ll provide your own inspiration for the next song. Without thinking too hard, if you follow your creative energy, you can end up at a finished song pretty quick. Rather than wasting time doubting the song, just see it through: how good could it even be if you only have 30 minutes to write it? Often, we are surprised at how much good there was that we didn’t have to plan out. We get out of the way, let our unconscious do most of the work, and marvel at the results!

Expert guidance and facilitation

In addition to performing over 1000 shows as a music director at ImprovBoston, and mentoring hundreds of students (at ImprovBoston, Tufts University, private schools, and more) Nate has lead more than 10 retreats since 2021. His playful attitude, deep love of music and excellent communication skills foster a loving, supportive environment. These songwriting retreats are some of his favorite work, where he gets to use experience from many different arenas of his life — one on one teaching, improvisation instruction, cooking, and hosting intentional gatherings. You’ll have a world-class guide, skilled at ballooning the joy of the group, while also tuning into specific individual’s needs, trajectory, and unique gifts.

Where Are Retreats?

Listen to a song, written and recorded live at a CSW Retreat!

What you’re listening to was recorded on the last day of a 3 day retreat and written… the day before!

1) Word-finding: group exercise
2) Partner Songwriting
3) Group arranging
4) Live Recording!

During an open afternoon session, one participant suggested an exercise: you have 5 minutes to talk about something you’re very passionate about or have been thinking about. Listeners can write down individual words or short phrases that stuck out: because they were pretty, unique, interesting… It was a beautiful way to learn about each other and open up about something personal to us!

From there, Libby and Mike used the words they collected from Vanessa and Maya (in the back, center and left), and co-wrote a song in under an hour— the day before!

Then, we had an hour to sing together, work out a loose arrangement and record a few takes! The result is homey-comfy, and really captures the lightness, love, and care of the people that made it. Enjoy!

Some songs get recorded on albums…

Here’s a Spotify playlist of songs written on retreats — which later went on to get recorded! There’s lots of great material.

Vanessa Hale, a former student, Berklee Alum, and multiple-time retreat attendee recently released her debut EP Grow in the Silence — which included 3 songs written at her retreat! She also made a music video for a single that we recorded live at a retreat in 2023! “If I Could Find the Sun”

Intimidated? Impressed? Think it’s too advanced for you? Many Attendees have written their first songs on this retreat!!

Here is Joseph’s first song, from the first Contemplative Songwriting retreat !

Loreno, another first-time songwriter — one of his first batches, back in 2021:

Whether an experienced songwriter or a first timer, it’s the same principles: Express what’s inside YOU, follow where it goes; balance the expansive mode, of feeling open and connected to all possibilities, wit the “closed” mode, of making clean clear decisions. As John Cleese says, the best artists are not the funniest, smartest, or most “creative” — but the ones who can intentionally switch between these modes.

Where are the Retreats held?

Creative Songwriting Philosophy:

Nate’s songwriting philosophy developed organically over a 20 year period: from longing to be a backstreet boy, improvising songs returning from recess, to writing in bands, and composing classical music in undergrad and grad school. Without realizing it, he always wrote raw songs — that prized authenticity over musical detail.

During the pandemic it coalesced and was put to the test: during that first several months, he lived in Rumney, NH — and, having moved onto zoom, transitioned from teaching musical improv comedy (how to make up funny songs in the moment), to comedic songwriting. He was tickled at how funny and musically competent his students — many of which just played a couple chords on their instrument, and had never delved into this material. With clear instruction and a supportive environment, many students who had never written a song, and played just a few chords, wrote excellently. Despite them being in tiny boxes on a screen.

Separately, he was mourning the loss of a good friend & musical collaborator — alongside the vast uncertainty of the world at the start of COVID. To keep sane while living alone in the woods in 2020 — without internet for the first 5 weeks — he did the Artists’ Way with friends. While writing morning pages, he started writing full songs. He’d normally write two every morning. This practice, of moving through grief, and writing songs early in the morning, evolved into the core of his practice .

Now, he had written songs for a very long time — but they often were beautiful gems of one or two lines… that would never get finished. As well, he would improvise songs into his voice recorder — but they were sometimes lumpy. During this period, he found the perfect blend: fiercely and courageously getting it down on paper, finding simple melodies and chords, and then recording a demo.

Here is a 30-minute song written in 2020. I taught it to my friend I was visiting at the time, Alice, and she sang along:

I have developed “fundamental contemplations” to rigorously play with chords, rhythm, melody, lyrics… but the philosophy is simple: Be vulnerable. Tell the truth.

Leading zoom songwriting classes became a great format, and he’s taught dozens of students. Giving tender feedback, inviting the first question “what, specifically, did we love about that?” helps us land in the reality: we often don’t see what’s most beautiful about our songs. The parts we are really sweating, and focusing on, often don’t do most of the “work” of communicating to our listener. As such, being in community, with people deeply listening and resonating with your music, is a tremendous gift. These retreats perfectly wed “alone time” with our craft, and the type of communal feedback & expert insight needed to really bolster your creative practice.

Become prolific. Allow yourself to simply to write, and don’t worry about songs “sounding too much the same” — you’re most likely just developing a personal style. It’s way easier to change your style once you have one — than not have one and constantly feel adrift, trying to be someone you aren’t already!

In an amazing home: