Department of Music sponsors singer-songwriter workshop

Isabel Goad sits and discusses after performing a song during the songwriter workshop on Oct. 3, 2024. Photo by Christain Tolliver.

The University of Mississippi Department of Music sponsored a singer-songwriter workshop on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. in the music building conference room.

The idea of the workshop came from when junior music education major Isabel Goad and Kirsten “KK” Deans, a graduate student and member of the Ole Miss Women’s Basketball team, met and connected over their love of music.

“(Music is) really important to me, and it’s really important to KK. I’ve never really shared my music publicly with anybody, neither has she,” Goad said. “So, the first time KK and I met and actually discussed this, it was kind of a very vulnerable thing for us to share.”

The pair wants the workshops to become a place where participants come to share their craft without fear of judgment.

“A lot of people are scared to let that side of them out because it’s a vulnerable thing, and I just want everybody to feel comfortable and safe here,” Goad said.

There is not much of a structure to the sessions, as Deans and Goad let the people around them guide the time they spend together.

“You don’t know how many people are going to show up and what time they’ll show up,” Goad said. “We just kind of sit here and hope for the best, and something that we both say is that we just want it to be plainly organic. Our goal is to just welcome and invite any kind of students, whether you like classical, rock or metal.”

This is the third session of the semester, and Deans and Goad have plans to host more throughout the rest of the year.

Madison Murphy, a sophomore elementary education major, is a student songwriter that attended the event.

“I’ve always loved music. It really helps me feel seen in a lot of different areas,” Murphy said. “It helps me express myself. I would like to make some connections, meet some people and hopefully get better at songwriting through this event.”

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