Songwriting
Intro to Songwriting is a class aimed at aspiring songwriters with little or no formal musical training. This course teaches the craft of songwriting in an engaging and instantly applicable manner. Students learn about the main components of a song: melody, harmony, rhythm, and lyrics. We will cover basic music theory and how to construct melodies from chord progressions and vice versa. Students will listen to both old and current songs spanning many popular genres. Analysis of the lyrics of different styles of music will help students develop their own lyrical style. The class culminates in a final concert performance of the students' original songs.
Materials Needed: Rhyming dictionary and thesaurus (digital is OK), notebook, staff paper, pencils, voice recorder (optional)
Songwriting I reviews the topics covered in the “Intro” level. Many of the topics covered in Listening Skills and Music Theory will be applied. Additional topics will include:
Materials Needed: Rhyming dictionary and thesaurus (digital is OK), notebook, staff paper, pencils, voice recorder (optional)
Songwriting I reviews the topics covered in the “Intro” level. Many of the topics covered in Listening Skills and Music Theory will be applied. Additional topics will include:
- Interval recognition
- Compositional techniques
- Definitive harmonies and rhythms from different styles
- Storytelling and poetic devices
- Song form elements (verse, chorus, bridge, refrain)
- Deeper analysis of rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic fusion in pop music
There will be weekly assignments consisting of original exercises dealing with that week’s session. This class culminates in an audio recording of one of each student’s original songs.
Materials Needed: same as Intro to Songwriting.
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Materials Needed: same as Intro to Songwriting.
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