FAQ's
- Do I have to sing or be musical?
- How long is a typical session?
- How big or small are the groups?
- What are the costs?
- Who owns the song after the session?
- When do we get a copy of the song?
- What if I’m not creative?
- Can the Song Division band play a party set after the session, at our gala dinner for example?
- Does the session have to be in a recording studio or can it be held in a conference room or other venue?
- What experience do your musicians have?
- Are you facilitators or musicians?
- What are the songs about?
- What are the most common objectives you meet?
- Can you find us some famous singers to work with?
- If there are musically talented people in our group, will they be able to play too?
- Can you guarantee the group will end up writing a song? Has any group not actually achieved this?
- What’s the most unusual session you’ve run?
- Can we enjoy a few drinks during the session?
- Where are your preferred venues?
- How long have you been around?
- What makes Song Division so special compared to other team building options?
1. Do I have to sing or be musical?
Not at all! All the singing is done as a group so no one is singled out to perform on their own – unless of course they want to!
The focus is on the song writing, it’s not a vocal audition like American Idol. We use song writing as the tool to bring teams together and help them be creative. The song is merely the outcome of collective, innovative group ideas. The band will amalgamate the team ideas and turn them into an amazing, personalized song which everyone helps sing at the end. We’ve never had anyone not want to participate once they see how it all works!
2. How long is a typical session?
About 3 hours, but our conference energizers can be as short as 15 minutes and we can also provide full day experiences depending on your needs.
3. How big or small are the groups?
There’s no limit to the number of people we can work with! This is because we have processes to work with very large groups (10,000+), very small groups and everything in between. With the really large groups, we ensure everyone remains engaged through ‘interactive entertainment’ – by making the experience a song writing extravaganza as well as a full on live rock n roll concert;
Click here to see us help 2,700 people write a song in 25 minutes
We run one-on-one sessions for anyone who wants to write and record his or her very own song with a professional songwriter. The people who use these sessions sometimes have no experience at all, or have some experience and want some direction and support. We’ve done many sessions for couples that wanted to give their partner a really unique birthday present as well as write their Mum or Dad a unique and personal song. Both the song and the song writing session make a fabulous gift!
4. What are the costs?
This is determined based on the size of the group, the venue, the session length and the band we use. Call us or send an email with your requirements (including budget), we’d love to put together a proposal for you that will suit your needs.
Click here for our contact page (which includes a request for proposal form)
5. Who owns the song after the session?
The song is owned by the parties who wrote it. That means it is owned by both the participants and the Song Division musicians who create the song collectively. Should the song make it’s way onto national radio, Song Division would ensure any royalties are shared appropriately!
If a company would like to use the song for commercial purposes after the session, e.g. TV or radio advertising, then a licensing fee would be negotiated with Song Division based on the detail of the license – e.g. countries it was to be aired in, time period etc.
6. When do we get a copy of the song?
It can be available to you straight after the session, but we usually like to do some post-production mixing on it to ensure it sounds fantastic. The aim is to get you the finished product within 3 working days of the session wherever possible. Delivery time will be set in the planning stage of each event according to your needs.
7. What if I’m not creative?
We believe everyone is creative but that sometimes they just need a reminder of how to tap into this creativity. Music is the perfect tool to do this. We help people turn relatively dry concepts into memorable and meaningful songs. For example, when we help a team write a song about their corporate values, these values are brought to life through the creativity of the people themselves, as opposed to it being communicated to them via email or a speech from management.
8. Can the Song Division band play a party set after the session, at our gala dinner for example?
Yes! We pride ourselves on being able to meet both your team building needs as well as your entertainment needs. And this means better value for money for you (not to mention simplified logistics) as you are only dealing with the one supplier.
9. Does the session have to be in a recording studio or can it be held in a conference room or other venue?
The studio sessions are amazing as you get to experience just what it’s like to record as professional artists, including using the vocal booths and getting up close and personal in the mixing room. But we are also completely portable, having all our own gear to record your song no matter if you’re on an island, a boat, in a hotel room or in a car park. Yes, we’ve run sessions in all these locations! The experience and the song are always amazing no matter if you’re in a studio or an alternative venue.
10. What experience do your musicians have?
All the Song Division crew are highly experienced, professional musicians and have been trained in the proprietary, globally-proven Song Division process. Song Division musicians are extremely talented with credits including David Bowie, Queen and Aerosmith to name a few. They also have to have wonderful people skills to be part of the team – they are all trained in group facilitation and can work with all manner of people.
11. Are you facilitators or musicians?
Both… having worked in bands all their lives, our musicians have had to negotiate, mediate, make decisions and manage many kinds of personalities to achieve the success they have. As such, they have natural facilitation abilities. But we also train them just to give them further competence. And using musicians as facilitators seems to go down really well in the corporate world, as teams tend to respect the musician’s for their talent and knowledge but also for the fact that they are not trying to be too ‘corporate’ or serious in their orchestrating and team work.
12. What are the songs about?
The songs can be about anything you like! Sometimes our clients will want the song to have a particular topic or theme and other times the group will decide on the day. A client may want the song to reflect specific learnings from a conference, communicate a message, or they may prefer the group to have complete autonomy at the time. We will ensure the group finds a topic they will enjoy writing about. One executive from a pharmaceutical company got a little worried about the song topic being about ‘sex and drugs’ and so we discreetly helped the group decide it was better to write about ‘success and drugs’. We will ensure the song is appropriate and help you achieve your objectives.
13. What are the most common objectives you meet?
Improving communication, collaboration and creativity. It’s amazing to see people interact in a completely new way outside the workplace, revealing new talents and interests and relating to each other in a non-threatening and creative way. It’s empowering and exciting to see teams so excited after the ‘ah ha’ moment, having realized they’ve achieved something together they previously didn’t think was possible.
14. Can you find us some famous singers to work with?
Of course! We have access to many famous singers and songwriters who love the Song Division philosophy and process and would welcome being involved.
Our musicians have worked with David Bowie, the Bee Gees, Mariah Carey, The Divinyls, Guns n Roses, the list goes on…
15. If there are musically talented people in our group, will they be able to play too?
Yes indeed! The main focus of the sessions is the song writing and group performance, however we will tap into the talents of individual instrumentalists where appropriate and time permitting.
16. Can you guarantee the group will end up writing a song? Has any group not actually achieved this?
Every single group we have worked with has written and recorded an original song in the time frame specified. Our processes ensure that the outcome is achieved, although they have to work for it! It is imperative to the success of the session that everyone walks away knowing they have achieved what they set out to achieve. Our talented musicians have various ways to encourage and support the group to write the music and all the lyrics ensuring they have built the song themselves.
17. What’s the most unusual session you’ve run?
We’ve written and recorded songs with 2,700 people in just 25 minutes! We’ve also written 7 songs in 7 hours with 7 different teams before having them perform and compete with each other during a gala dinner. We’ve kicked off a three day business partner education with a rock concert in Microsoft’s car park at 7am. We can cater to most requests so long as it involves writing and recording ORIGINAL songs.
18. Can we enjoy a few drinks during the session?
We support responsible drinking and are comfortable with everyone relaxing over a few drinks where appropriate. We are happy to help with any catering requirements. An additional management fee will apply.
19. Where are your preferred venues?
We have great relationships with fantastic venues all around the world. In Sydney for example, we love Alberts Studios, 301 Studios, Trackdown, Syndey Opera House and the State Theatre to name just a few. In the US we love Lecacy and Skyline studios in Manhattan, and of course Carnegie Hall. We are happy to help source a venue if required.
20. How long have you been around?
We were founded in 2003 and have been going strong ever since. We have offices in Sydney, New York, London and Hong Kong. But because we have Song Division bands and musicians littered across the globe, we can come to you absolutely anywhere. This also keeps costs down for you.
21. What makes Song Division so special compared to other team building options?
Everyone loves music – it transcends age, gender, class, nationality, physicallity etc.
Music is the single most powerful tool for emotional connection, sound-tracking so many of our most memorable moments.
Music has the ability to change your mood, inspire you, make sense of things and articulate feelings and ideas in a non-threatening way.
Music and recall are heavily linked, making songwriting a powerful way to communicate.
The session is not about the performance or singing, but about creative, collaborative songwriting.
It reveals new employee talents that many people may not have known existed. Get the senior executive’s alter ego out on stage!
The song is the perfect takeaway and memento of the event and can be played on the intranet or as a backdrop at other events.
Write the song about something that needs to stick – i.e. a new corporate value, new messages – the songs are always catchy and resonate for a long time.
It’s ‘interactive entertainment’ so it’s a team activity that’s not too obvious about being team building. Great for the cynics and gen y’ers…
Gone are the days of ‘team bruising’ where physical prowess reigned supreme. Companies are looking for a competitive advantage through teams that can demonstrate creativity and innovation.
Everyone has wanted to be Mick Jagger or Madonna at some stage in their lives and this is an opportunity to get a little bit rock n roll!
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