· · · · · 

The conference instructors offered a great deal of music-business experience.

BAT MCGRATH started out with a rock band in upstate New York. He became part of the folk era, then migrated to Los Angeles. As a martial-arts specialist, he became the bodyguard for the rock group Van Halen. "Dumbest thing I ever did," he says now.

Eventually, he found his way to Nashville, and "fell in love with that scene, and I got a publishing deal." His "breakout hit" was "Come Some Rainy Day," recorded by Wynonna Judd.

PAT ALGER grew up in a Mayberry-like town in Georgia. He, too, was part of the "big folk scare of the '60s, when anyone with a banjo could get on radio."

He started in folk clubs, did a stint at Woodstock, tried out New York, and through naivete as much as anything got some songs recorded by James Taylor, then ended up in Nashville. Since then he's written for Mickey Gilley, Dolly Parton, Brenda Lee, the Everly Brothers, Kathy Mattea, Nanci Griffith, Trisha Yearwood and others.

One of his most successful efforts was a collaboration with Garth Brooks, which yielded four No. 1 hits, including "The Thunder Rolls" and "Unanswered Prayers."

RACHEL THIBODEAU is a rising songwriting star. A native of Minnesota, she bounced back and forth between her home and Nashville until moving there permanently in 2004, when she signed on with Murrah Music.

Her recent successes include "Loveland," recorded by Martina McBride; "Good Directions," Billy Currington; and "I Can Do This," Lila McCann.

DAN HODGES shared his experience of 15 years in the music publishing business. He was happy to report that "the market is exciting right now. There's a lot of growth, a lot of opportunity." But it still takes both patience and hard work to get anywhere.

"And there has to be a passion for what you do. The hardest part of songwriting is instilling emotion in the listener. Everything else you can learn. But you can't learn heart. That's what we always look for."

The four offered insights into the music world. They shared tips on writing songs, both lyrics and music. They talked about the importance of honesty and passion in songwriting. They talked about the challenges and fun of writing with other people.