Applications For North Queensland Songwriting Program Extended

A North Queensland songwriting program, Songs from the Reef, is extending its application date to March 10.

Songs from the Reef is a community songwriting program for emerging artists from Townsville to Mackay. Starting in April, 20 songwriters join a ten week online program with I Heart Songwriting Club to sharpen their skills, receive expert mentorship, and write up to 200 songs - which they then showcase at QLD Music Trails’ Reef Sundowner fireside jam in Proserpine on June 12.

“We understand the challenges facing our communities right now, and Songs from the Reef is a chance for local songwriters to find strength in their creativity and share their stories through song,” said founder of I Heart Songwriting Club, Francesca de Valence. “Music has the power to bring people together, inspire resilience, and celebrate the beauty of where we live.”

The Music caught up with de Valence recently, to talk a bit more about Songs from the Reef and what prospective applicants should know.

What are you looking for in applicants? 

We are seeking to work with emerging songwriters in the early stages of practice as a musical artist or songwriter.  As an emerging songwriter, you may still be honing your musical style, may have released a few songs or had a few performances, may have received some recognition from the media, but don’t have commercial representation. You have written at least 20 songs. You must be at least 10 years old to participate in this program.

If participants don't play an instrument, that's okay too. We can work with the songwriters where they are at.

Do you have any notable alumni from the program?

This is our first Songs from the Reef program. But we do have many regional QLD songwriters who have taken part in our various programs within I Heart Songwriting Club over the past 10 years, including:

Cairns-based Leanne Tennant (artist name L T) who has released many singles written in the Club. Leanne is nominated for Best Folk Song at the 2025 Queensland Music Awards (QMAs) with her song Real Life = No Fun, that she wrote in I Heart Songwriting Club. FYI, there are six QMA 2025 nominations for IHSC members.

Cooktown-born songwriter Ella Hartwig, wrote many of her first songs in I Heart Songwriting back in 2018 when she was a young teen and recently celebrated releasing her second EP as a physical-only release alongside a tour of East Coast Australia. Ella featured at our I Heart Songwriting Club showcase at BIGSOUND 2024.

Airlie Beach songwriter, Karen Jacobsen, has written almost 300 songs in I Heart Songwriting Club and released 3 albums of songs from the Club. She co-founded the Whitsundays Songwriter Festival in 2022 with me.

What can attendees expect to take away from it all?

Participants can expect to feel more empowered in their songwriting skills with new lyric-writing and melody-writing tools to write even better songs. They can expect to write 10 songs and have detailed mentorship feedback on each of those songs, plus get to work alongside other songwriters in their community. Finally, the QMF song-sharing experience will be a wonderful chance to play their new songs in public at an official QMF event. This is a great way to be seen and heard by the whole North Queensland community.

Do you think there's a burgeoning songwriter community in North Queensland?

Absolutely! There are so many creative people living in North Queensland. I've had the pleasure of working with many of them in our various programs through I Heart Songwriting Club. And I know those songwriters are often having to travel to attend professional development opportunities - so we are bringing this one to them!!!

Applications for the ‘Songs from the Reef’ program are open now until March 10. Apply here.