Get away to write songs, collaborate, learn new skills, and perform the songs we create during the retreat weekend!
Join your MAS friends at Bugbee Hive Resort, Paynesville, Minnesota. Follow that link and check out the Colony A,B & C cabins. A tentative schedule of activities is below. At the bottom of the page you will find a link to the registration form. Submit your registration and payment as soon as possible to reserve your space. Deadline is August 31.
Plans for Food and Drink
We will provide water and coffee.
We will provide a pizza dinner Friday evening, a warm breakfast Saturday morning, and a continental breakfast Sunday morning. Bring some kind of snacky stuff to share, as we plan to have a potluck "graze" all afternoon on Saturday. For Saturday dinner you can go out to eat or order in.
Cost and Accommodations
We have Colony A and B reserved with Colony C on standby if needed. Cost per person is based on room occupancy. If you share a bedroom, the cost is $150. If you have a room to yourself, the cost is $300. This price is a flat charge; it includes everything except some of the food.
Room assignments will be made after registrations close. You may look at the cabin maps on the website and make a request for a specific room if you wish. We will honor these requests if possible but can't make any guarantees.
What to Bring
Personal toiletries
Bath towel, washcloth, hand towel
Shoes and clothing for indoors (dress comfortably)
Favorite pillow and/or blanket
Warm shoes and clothing for outdoors
Instruments
Notebook, writing utensils, laptop
Music stand
Your own snacks and beverages
Snack food to share on Saturday
Money for your meal Saturday evening
Swimsuit and towel if you want to swim in the pool or use the hot tub
Other Information
We will coordinate sound equipment (mic, speaker system, setup)
We need a minimum of 8 paying participants
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please respect the privacy of others when you are taking photographs or posting on social media.
Tentative Schedule 2023
Friday, October 20
2:00-5:00 pm–Check in, room assignments, setup
5:30–Dinner (Pizza)
7:00–Opening Circle, Introductions, Icebreaker
8:00–Open Jam Circle
Saturday, October 21
8:00-9:00 am–Breakfast
9:30-12:00–Morning breakout (small group writing session 1)
12:00-1:00 pm–Lunch break
12:00-4:00 pm–Shared potluck snacks
1:00-3:30–Afternoon breakout (small group songwriting session 2)
4:00-4:45–Breakout: Group Rhythm Circle (learn some rhythms and a Drum Song that will be shared during Saturday evening circle)
5:00–Dinner
7:00–Circle Time (Song performances and open jam time)
8:30–Social time, campfire sing-along
Sunday, October 22
8:00 am–Breakfast
9:00–Closing Circle
10:00–Checkout time
How Breakout Sessions Will Work
The breakout sessions will be designed to provide a platform for teaching and honing writing and co-writing skills, catering to individuals at all levels of experience. Each session will center around collaboratively working on one song (or potentially more, depending on the group's progress) during the session. We will mix up the groups for each session to ensure you get to work with different people.
As mentioned earlier, we anticipate a wide range of skill levels among participants, as it is possible to gain valuable insights from individuals at all levels of experience and formal training. This co-writing workshop aims to stimulate fresh perspectives and push participants beyond their creative boundaries.
To reserve your spot and pay by check instead of credit card, please send a note to Vicki at membership@mnsongwriters.org.
To register select below either rooming alone or with someone, then click "Register Now" and fill in the registration form. IMPORTANT! If you are registering for two people in one room with this form, we need BOTH OF YOUR NAMES and contact information on the registration form.
Note: The registration form does not work with Safari in macOS 13 Ventura. Please use a different browser (Firefox or Chrome) or use an older Mac operating system such as Monterey or Catalina. The registration form works in Windows and on smartphones, as far as we know. Please report problems to webmaster@mnsongwriters.org
