andreastolpe.comReviews of andreastolpe.com

The foundation that music is great but people are more important. I thoroughly enjoyed the camp fires. Was a an amazing experience. The challenges really stretched me. Andreas kindness is addictive of course. I was there to find a piece of me and I did. I am very Greatful for the whole experience. Jays WebEx was wonderful too. Thank you

I admittedly didn't do much research and kinda just said, "this looks cool, I'm going to do it." I was floored by Andrea's talent, teaching ability, support, and creativity. I had no idea she was THAT good. My brain was so full at the end, and it was the spark I needed to get out of my writing rut. I highly recommend for anyone at most stages of songwriting. Some experience is probably necessary, not for beginners.

A welcoming environment surrounded by creative people that opened up new ideas and possibilities of songwriting.

Andrea was incredibly genuine, peaceful, knowledgeable and approachable. She set the tone for the entire retreat and because she exuded these traits, it trickled down to everyone at the retreat. Everyone felt comfortable, I believe, to delve into the craft of songwriting passionately and confidently. I learned so much and believe Andrea has a special ability to understand what I needed and helped me satisfy my goals. She has great interpersonal communication skills and can read a room, which helped I think when she made the co-writing selections. I really enjoyed her thoughtful pairings, and think this allowed me to showcase my unique skills and talents.

Steel sharpens steel, and spending time in a retreat with other songwriters is no different—the result is better songs. Under the wise and encouraging Andrea Stolpe (and team) I was free to learn, challenge, and perform songwriting beyond the perceptions and limitations I brought with me.

This songwriting retreat was hands down the best retreat of any kind that I have ever attended, and I have been to a lot. It was well and thoughtfully crafted and the container that Andrea Stolpe created enabled people to take risks, to learn, to grow, to share, to laugh and have fun, and create amazing music.

This retreat was fabulous. Andrea is a very gifted teacher. For example, of the many exercises we did, one was having one of us come up and play one of our songs (that she had not heard before). With just a few simple changes, she showed how the song could be made much stronger. It reminded me of a master artist creating a beautiful picture with just a few strokes. The retreat was very much "learn by doing", which I loved. No dry lectures, just inspiring discussions. Apart from the exercises, another big plus is meeting a bunch of amazingly talented, kind musicians. There was a big range of levels of accomplishment, but everyone was super nice. Andrea's style is just awesome. No ego, no dogma, very open and respectful. I understand that people's own work is often very dear to them, so offering criticism here requires real skill. I did notice that Andrea said somewhat sharper things later during the week, as trust had built, and I thought that was wonderful too. While the retreat was awesome, the accomodations were not. I had to share a room with two extremely loud snorers, one of whom tried to climb into my bed by mistake in the early hours. However, they were nice people, and although I didn't get much sleep, I really didn't feel tired. Adrenaline! But also: I'm gluten intolerant, and the hotel solution appeared to be to just add the label "contains gluten" on everything. The only GF food at one lunch was the salad and the sweet potato fries. No GF desserts were provided at all. But the location itself was nice.

I gave my retreat experience 5 stars because my expectations of what I hoped to gain in the area of songwriting were completely exceeded. Like most, I came for Andrea's expertise and experience in songwriting and I got THAT plus inspiration, community, and clarity about my direction. Plus, you know something was great when you are experiencing complete withdrawal symptoms upon returning. Thank you, Andrea + team!!!