andreastolpe.comReviews of andreastolpe.com

From the classes to the writing sessions to the evening performances and campfire jam sessions, I loved every minute of it. It was the perfect blend of learning new tools then co-writing and practicing what we just learned. It far exceeded my expectations, and I came away feeling inspired and excited to continue collaborating with the amazing people I met.

Andrea Stolpe is such an intuitive, grounded, empowering teacher of songwriting. She makes getting better at your songwriting feel possible, no matter what part of the process you’re at. The community that I found at the California retreat blew me away. Strangers became family. We wrote fearlessly. We listened, really listened. This is all a testament to the phenomenal humans and writers she attracts. If you have the opportunity to go on her retreats, GO. BE THERE. You will find your people. And the support doesn’t stop at the end of retreats — you will have a music community for life. I will sing praises for Andrea and this retreat experience forever!

Patient, kind and practical mentorship from a renowned songwriter + daily workshops and activities that foster team building, musicianship, and artistic development + a carefully chosen venue with comfortable provisions and just the right-sized group of diverse and talented musicians = unforgettable experience. I left the retreat much better equipped to communicate with my audience than when I arrived, and am inspired to hone my craft as a songwriter and performer (although don't think you need to be a singer/stage performer to attend - the retreat hosted an array of songwriters with a variety of proclivities and talents, including singers, those who do not sing, those who write for themselves, those who write for others, those who play many instruments, those who have a relatively sparse instrumental music background, those versed in theory, those who do not find it as helpful, those with expertise in production, etc). My classmates were absolutely fantastic, creative individuals, and the staff facilitated a safe, inclusive atmosphere that brought the absolute best out of us all (we could take chances artistically and emotionally with the full support of our ensemble). I'm proud to be an alumnus of this retreat and a member of Andrea's songwriting community.

I’ve always wanted to go to a songwriting retreat, but hadn’t been able to find affordable ones around my place... ...until I found Andrea Stolpe’s ONLINE songwriting retreat! Throughout this weekend I had been attending the retreat sessions and I would say that joining this retreat had easily been one of my best decision of the year! All the sessions are just as helpful and practical as I hoped it would be, so much that I jumped right off after the first session into revisiting one of my old pieces that I’ve never got to finish. This time I could tell what’s not working and I utilized some tools that we had discussed in the class to help me rework my piece until it's almost finished now. In one of the sessions covering melody and groove, we trained our ears to be more sensitive towards identifying different melodic motifs, how they contrast between sections, how they are used to help emphasize the message or the emotion that the writers would like to convey in their music, and how they are used to accentuate the lyrics. The breakout room exercises were so fun! We collaborated with other songwriters to develop a verse & chorus section using the repetition and/or contrasts of melodic motifs that we came up with. Wonderful how all of the groups were able to come up with different styles and vibes. During the last session of the retreat, we discussed strategies to grow in the music industry as an independent artist. Such an eye-opening session! I love how the retreat became a safe space for all of us to share our stories & struggles and how supportive all the people are. I'm also glad that Andrea and her team went extra miles to ensure that we would still have a lifetime access to them and the community itself, even after the program ends. I’m looking forward to continue learning with and from each other or probably collaborating sometime in the future🤍 Thank you Andrea, Madison, Luke, and everyone who participated in the online retreat!

Andrea and team really created an informative and fun online retreat for me and the other songwriters. In addition to the classes that provide valuable insight into songwriting and some tools to help you grow as a writer, the sense of community was really welcoming. We did exercises in breakout rooms which really got us to work with different people and teach the art of collaboration. The co-writing session was very rewarding. I got to write a song with a person from Canada and another from Argentina. It was a fun process and we walked away from the session with a really hooky and fun song (and a bunch of contact info to keep the collaboration going after the class. The class is tailored to all experience levels and there’s something to learn for everybody.

I learned so much and my songwriting has already taken a huge leap in just 3 days! So many great insights, resources and priceless community!!!! Thank you so much for your generosity!

Andrea Stolpe is a first rate songwriter and teacher. She truly believes that each person has a unique set of gifts, and that is how she approaches teaching. If you have a chance to work with her, you'll love it.

I had read Andrea Stolpe's books and watched several videos before attending, but seeing demonstrations in person was eye opening - finally concepts CLICKED. I left with a stronger sense of my own current skills, what I want to most focus on improving, and a community to help me do that. The Nunnelly, TN, Five Star Retreat venue is extremely beautiful and nicely secluded - cell service is wonderfully absent (a plus in my books), but wifi worked great if you need to stay in touch back home. I have dietary restrictions and there were significant problems with catering. I understand this was a new vendor and not a problem they've had previously, so I don't expect it to be a problem in the future. (Having my dietary needs considered in the first place is more than most event organizers offer.) With any unexpected issue, it's the response by the retreat organizers that is the most important part, and Madison and Luke were very supportive and worked hard to resolve my issue. I have every confidence any issue would be addressed similarly. I've already signed up to attend a 2023 retreat!