Intimate Setting: The round stage design will create an intimate ambiance, allowing songwriters to forge profound connections with their audience. The venue’s design is carefully crafted to accentuate the narratives embedded within the songs.

• Open-Mic Nights: SONG’s live music venue will dedicate special evenings to aspiring songwriters, placing them in the spotlight during open-mic nights. These events will serve as a fertile ground for budding songsmiths to share their stories through their songs, nurturing emerging talent.
• Continuous Engagement: Between live performances, screens will project past performances, illustrating the compelling ability of songwriting to convey emotions, experiences, and narratives. This ongoing engagement reinforces the message that songs are vessels for stories.
• Artist Workshops and Residencies: The venue will also host artist workshops and residencies, creating an environment where songwriters and musicians can delve deep into the songwriting process. These sessions will celebrate the art and craft of songwriting, fostering creativity and collaboration.

For touring headliners, a demountable back wall can be opened, providing an additional 300 raked auditorium style seats, increasing capacity for full concerts and recitals. Technology will be state-of-the-art so the hall can function for broadcast and recording sessions.

One of the aims of SONG is to present the full range of music and songwriting genres, from historical to experimental. Expectations are this space will be filled with live presentations as often as possible, offering a wide and varied performance calendar.

Throughout the year, a wide range of events will occur involving the Academy and featuring its students with recitals, concerts and showcases. The annual National Songwriting Symposium will become a celebration of songs as catalysts for musical evolution on a global scale and position the academy as a national thought leader. In addition, the SONG Academy will tap into the world of songwriting by sponsoring special guest appearances, lectures and discussions with distinguished members of the songwriting community. Performances by successful and well-known songwriters will be featured throughout the year.

Led by nationwide research on songwriting academies and industry trends, SONG academy targets key U.S. markets focusing first in Lubbock, Nashville and Los Angeles and expanding into other music centers such as Atlanta, Austin, and New York. Operating on a “hub and spokes” model, it establishes campuses in music centers and offers programs at teaching sites nationwide. The academy’s faculty, consisting of successful songwriters and industry professionals, serve as “artists in residence,” providing industry-embedded instruction.

With administrative headquarters in Mac’s hometown of Lubbock, Texas, the Songwriting Academy aims to shape cultural ambassadors who can influence change through the power of song.