Two Months of Songwriting, Singing, Guitar Playing, Stage Performance, and Unlocking Your Bad-Ass Musical Self

I have a confession to make…

I don’t like teaching beginner musicians. In the internet age, you can learn pretty much anything through YouTube, so needing to have a music teacher explain how to play your favorite song on guitar or piano is basically obsolete. Even techniques and “how to” stuff is covered really well by lots of people online, and often for free.

Don’t get me wrong, learning how to play an instrument is a significant accomplishment, it’s just not the area that excites me. What I’m really excited about is meeting with someone after they already know how to play.

Once you get good, what makes you great?

How do you be unforgettable?

That’s what really lights me up, and you can’t find the answer online. In fact, most music teachers don’t really cover this, they mostly teach skills and techniques for increasing proficiency.

So how do you go from good to great?

To sum up the answer in a sentence, I would say that the greatness people seek can be found just beyond their comfort zone.

At least that’s what’s been true for me.

I’ve spent the last twelve years asking this question, and it’s led me to discover myself in ways I could never have dreamed of. Here are some examples.

• Developing emotionally

I realized to really move an audience, I’d have to let myself get emotional when I sang, so I worked on it. I worked on bringing myself to the edge of tears while I was singing, and letting myself be as vulnerable as I could, for the sake of making an impact on the audience.

Turns out it made an impact on my life as well, since I had always been the kind of guy who would hide his emotions.

• Expressing My Sexuality

In 2008 I met Jordan Tishler, a music producer who would later become my manager. He told me when he met me that I could “sell sex” and to be perfectly honest, I had no idea what that meant.

At the time, I didn’t know what women wanted and I was mostly floundering through dating and relationships with women. I took it upon myself to understand how to speak to women through music. I studied Tantra, I read books, talked to countless women and embarrassed myself more times than I could count.

A few years later I saw that my music was having a much different impact on women. Not only that, but I had become so good at understanding what women wanted that I began coaching guys on how to do the same thing. All thanks to music.

• Spirituality

I saw that many artists had a relationship with what some people called “God”, but I considered myself an atheist. I saw how many artists were sourcing their work outside themselves, and that made a lot of sense to me.

I decided to open myself to the possibility of there being something out there I couldn’t explain. I dove into spirituality, and not only did my music get deeper, but my life got richer. Understanding how to be a “great” musician, not just a good one has been the journey of a lifetime, and it’s still going.

This is the heart of what this program is about. It’s not about what you can do to be a better musician, it’s about who you will have to become.

Music can invite you into a deeper, scarier space, just like it did for me, and just like it’s already done for you in so many ways.

The Program

The whole program will last two months, October and November. The foundation will be three all-day intensives, where we will work with these topics (to name a few):

• Songwriting (everyone will write at least 10 songs in the three months)
• Singing techniques & letting go of your voice
• Creativity, flow and staying in the zone
• Guitar performance
• Wardrobe/fashion
• How to move on stage
• Working and controlling a room
• On stage confidence
• Getting gigs
• Drawing a crowd
• Putting on a show that people talk about
• Creating, magnifying and using sexual tension
• Playing & Interacting with a band
• Audience engagement

Who Can Join?

The program for people who are truly ready to spend the time and energy it will take to make significant improvement. It’s a small group, 4-6 people, 6 max.

Program requirements:

One performance per week

• This can be at an open mic, a house concert, online or with other members of the group. I’ll make this easy to do, but only if you are dedicated to seeing it through. This is essential for growth, we will constantly be pushing outside of what’s comfortable.

Music Proficiency

• This is only a program for people who are proficient at playing the guitar and singing. It’s not for beginners. No on-stage experience is required. If you are a piano player and are interested, email me.

Open to giving and receiving honest feedback

• Throughout the two months you will be giving and receiving a massive amount of feedback. This is not for people who want to be affirmed, it’s for those who want to grow and be challenged.
• You must also be ready to give honest feedback. We grow through honest reflections from others, and doing this will serve the entire group and yourself.

Details, Logistics & Price

• The three intensives will be held in San Diego, California. Dates TBD depending on schedules but there will be one per month, at it will be all day (10am-7pm)

• During the two months, program members will have full access to private lessons whenever they want, for no extra cost. I was debating this because it seems like a lot, but I’m really in your corner for these two months. You can schedule as many 1-on-1 private lessons as time will allow, I recommend at least one every two weeks.

• Once a month we will all attend either a concert or open mic together and break down the show afterwards.

• The first intensive will be at the beginning of October. The program will end at the beginning of December.

• Total cost of this program is $850 if payed upfront or two payments of $500.

• Special guest musicians and surprises will be announced during the program.

How to Apply

This program is by invitation. If you haven’t spoken to me (Dave Booda), email me at davebooda@gmail.com to get started and we will set up a time to talk.

About Dave Booda

Dave Booda is a musician, teacher, public speaker and a creativity junkie.

Even before leaving his job as a Navy Officer Dave Booda had already done quite a bit in the music world. While working full time for the Navy he had managed to play shows in twenty different states, record two albums and get signed to an artist development deal.

He now writes at boodaism.com and is the host of Darken the Page, a podcast interviewing writers about their creative process. He founded IntimacyFest and holds several workshops a month with his wife in Southern California on the subject of self-expression, creativity, intimacy and relationships.