Summer Songwriting Workshop in France

Summer Songwriting Course with Mike Batt at French House Party, Carcassonne:
The French House Party in the Carcassonne area of south-west France, is named Top Retreat in the National Geographic book by American travel writer Pam Grout: "The 100 Best Worldwide Vacations to Enrich Your Life". We provide superior all-inclusive experience holidays, assuring the very best of personal attention to people whose expectations are high, among them a rare opportunity to learn song-writing from one of the world's best musical lyricists. Join British singer-songwriter Mike Batt for a 4-day residential course . Mike is renowned for his international hits such as 'Bright Eyes' (for Art Garfunkel), 'The Closest Thing to Crazy' (for Katie Melua) and the title track for Andrew Lloyd-Webber's musical opera 'The Phantom of the Opera'.

Situated in the Languedoc-Roussillon region, Carcassonne is only 50 miles from Toulouse International Airport. Ryanair also fly directly to Carcassonne from the UK, Ireland, Belgium, and other European cities.

• Mike Batt has remained a major inspiration to other songwriters for more than 40 years, his writing and production activities straddling TV, classical and pop music, movie scores, orchestral composition and conducting.

• He shot to fame in the 1970s when he was head of production at several record companies before leaving to create his own publishing company : this was when he was invited by the BBC to write the theme for an animated children's show called 'The Wombles'. Instead of a fee, Mike asked to retain the character rights in order to create a pop group.  The Wombles went on to  have hit after hit and were the biggest-selling UK singles band of 1974. 

• Mike's debut as a conductor was in 1984 at the Barbican with the London Symphony Orchestra, since when he has conducted and written scores for many orchestras worldwide.

• His creative and orchestral work with Queen Elizabeth and the Royal Family - composing anthems and other music for Royal events - saw him appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order in 2013 for services to the Royal Household - an honour which is the personal gift of the British monarch.

* He is currently re-mastering the musical score of his lifelong 'passion project' "The Hunting of the Snark" - an orchestral / performance version of the Lewis Carroll nonsense poem, which he first staged in London in 1991, the costumed concert starring such great names as Sir John Geilgud, George Harrison, Cliff Richard and Roger Daltrey.

• Our residential courses include this four-day residential songwriting course with masterclasses led by one of contemporary music's most original musical lyricists – the legendary Mike Batt. All classes are conducted in English.

• The role of choice in determining the theme, idiom, narrative voice and goal of a song will be examined along with strategies for creating an environment that encourages inspiration to strike.

• Students will be encouraged to share their original compositions for comment and review. Each day, students will be given specific songwriting assignments, individually and/or in pairs, tailored to explore some of the basic principles of the craft of songwriting.  All meals will be taken at home.

"Participating in the songwriting course at the French House Party was one of the best decisions I have ever made. The camaraderie (within half an hour we felt we had known each other for ever), the privilege of intense tuition and guidance from a legendary singer-songwriter, all whilst luxuriating in an idyllic house in the South of France, whilst being fed the most wonderful food! (did I mention the food?) It will remain with me forever."
- Rhona J.

"A great weekend and a brilliant experience.”
- Colin M.

"Fantastic. It unlocked several mysteries of songwriting ... especially melody writing, lyrical evolution ... all covered in an entertaining and accessible fashion. The educational content was engaging and of a high standard."
- Karen B.
 
"Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it - a unique experience -  the food and the whole House Party feel. I was a little apprehensive beforehand, mainly because as the oldest and youngest participants I was concerned one of us would not fit in. However, that was never the case and the age range was wide enough and both of us had a good time, made some new friends and learned a host of valuable information from Mike.  Congratulations on another successful week."
- Martin M. and daughter Talia

We offer our clients the ultimate in relaxation in graceful and superior surroundings.

Situated amid sunflower fields in a peaceful rural area on the outskirts on the outskirts of the medieval World Heritage site of Carcassonne, the 300-year-old stone barn has been uniquely converted in Art Deco style, creating large, open living spaces within the house – and a raised dais currently occupied by a digital grand piano  – making it ideal for performance or team training events - or on this course, for the performance sessions.

We enjoy fantastic views of the Pyrenees, which can still be white-capped, even in May.

The gardens are lovely and our resident red squirrels are most entertaining! There are gardens and several terraces, a large private pool with a barbecue area for al fresco dining, an all-weather tennis court, a covered table-tennis area and a petanque (boules) pitch.

• We also have an indoor games room with pool-table and a classic 1950s juke box. A mezzanine landing with a second sitting room on the first floor has balustrauding enabling one to look down on the raised area. Above are the roof beams.

• The 8 individually-designed, en suite bedrooms are double, twin or triple-sized. All have AC units, hairdryers and CD players. Towels are provided for both indoor and outdoor use.

• Two ground-floor rooms are suitable for guests with mobility limitations. Two of the bedrooms have balconies, offering superb views of the Pyrenees to the south and the Black Mountains to the north.

• Bicycles are available for anyone inclined towards a gentle pedal along the shady towpaths of the nearby Canal du Midi.