Songs 4 Nature: Fall 2025 Adult Camp
Calling all songwriters! Our popular Songs for Nature program is happening again, this time in beautiful Grasslands National Park! Join us and be swept away by grand prairie vistas and spectacular starry nights.
This multi-day retreat will give you a chance to connect with nature and hone your songwriting skills by creating and sharing original, nature-inspired songs. You will also be contributing to valuable research about creativity and wellbeing.
Space is limited and we expect the camp will fill up fast, so reserve your spot soon!
- Early bird (before June 27) = $420/person
- After June 27 = $500/person
- Registration closes July 18
Our Facilitators
This program is coordinated by RSM Curator of Human Ecology, Glenn Sutter, a performing songwriter known for his folk-rock tunes about nature, love, and the human condition.
The other songwriting mentors are:
Megan Nash, a JUNO-nominated singer-songwriter based on Treaty 4 Territory, known for her emotionally rich storytelling and hauntingly beautiful soundscapes. Her latest self-produced album, Soft Focus Futures, released on what would have been their wedding anniversary, dives deep into the complexities of grief, isolation, and self-discovery following the end of a marriage. With poetic lyricism, prairie-rooted imagery, and the collaborative spirit of close musical partners, Nash has created a raw, resonant body of work that captures both heartache and the slow, powerful return to hope.
Forrest Eaglespeaker, best known for his great songwriting and storytelling alongside his wife Nevada Eaglespeaker in the award-winning Alt-Country duo The North Sound.
Kara Golemba, an award-winning songwriter with a voice that can be “sweet and charming or powerfully raised to rattle the teacups.”
What's Included?
The songwriting camp will take place at The Convent Inn in Val Marie, by the West Block of Grasslands National Park. To get there, just head south from Swift Current on Hwy 4, which takes you right to Val Marie, and look for the Convent on the south side of the village (see map).
We will be staying in The Convent and the nearby campground. All of the Convent rooms have been spoken for, but there are still spots available in the campground, which has washroom and shower facilities and nice shaded, grassy sites.
If you’d rather stay somewhere else, you will be charged the same registration fee, since that money goes towards the mentors and other program costs, and you will need to arrange and pay for your own accommodation.
We will be eating all our meals in the Convent, and all food will be provided, so please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions!
The camp itself will include self-guided exercises, facilitated writing sessions and visual art stations, one-on-one time with mentors, a guided hike, and a public concert, as per the schedule below. We will also be writing a group song!
Schedule
Our days will start with yoga, and there will be plenty of time to reflect and create. The perfect way to get your juices flowing!
Thursday, September 11
6:30 PM – Arrive at Val Marie – check-in at The Convent Inn
7:00 PM – Supper and pre-camp surveys
8:00 PM – Opening, including welcome from Indigenous Elder, and mentor prespectives
8:40 PM – Ice-breaker, weekend goals, and context
9:30 PM – Campfire
11:00 PM – ZZZzzzzzzz
Friday, September 12
7:15 AM – Yoga
8:15 AM – Breakfast
9:00 AM – Nature immersion exercise
10:00 AM – True Nature Writing
11:30 AM – Art stations
Noon – Lunch
1:15 PM – Guided hike in Grasslands National Park
2:30 PM – Arrive back at The Convent
3:00 PM – Songwriting tips and tricks
4:00 PM – Reflection/writing time
6:00 PM – Supper
7:00 PM – Start group song
9:00 PM – Campfire
11:00 PM – ZZZzzzzzzz
Saturday, September 13
7:15 AM – Yoga
8:15 AM – Breakfast
9:30 AM – Art stations
10:30 AM – True Nature Writing
Noon – Lunch
1:00 PM – Reflection/writing time
5:00 PM – Supper
6:00 PM – Finish group song
8:00 PM – Public concert
9:00 PM – Campfire
11:00 PM – ZZZzzzzzzz
Sunday, September 14
7:15 AM – Yoga
8:15 AM – Breakfast
8:45 AM – Reflection/writing time, optional True Nature Writing session
11:15 AM – Group check-in
Noon – Lunch
1:00 PM – Post-camp surveys
2:00 PM – Pack up and depart
Travel and Lodging
- Your park entry fee will be covered, so be sure to keep your receipt!
- You are responsible for your own travel arrangements.
Things to Bring
- A tent, sleeping bag, extra blanket, sleeping pad, and pillow, unless you stay in The Convent
- Your instrument of choice (an electric keyboard will be provided)
- Warm layers, hat, clothes and shoes or boots for light hiking
- Flashlight, water bottle, insect repellant, binoculars
- Rain pants and rubber boots
- Notebook, pens and/or pencils
Note: We are committed to making this camp a creative and comfortable experience for everyone. To that end, all Parks regulations need to be followed and we request that you limit your use of alcohol and recreational drugs during the camp.
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