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Songwriting II
Songwriting II is a 10-week workshop, which includes lectures, exercises, and the critiquing of student projects. The prerequisite is Songwriting I (10-week), or the equivalent; Level II courses work best when students know the fundamentals and have experience with the workshop process. Farther down, you can view a syllabus for this course.
It happens in a darkened club. On a spotlit stage. Or behind the soundproof walls of a studio. A song unleashes its power and who knows where it’ll go? Songs fuel desire, inspire hope, break hearts, rock worlds, unite people, shake booties, turn blahs into blues, and sometimes make us feel as good as James Brown. All in a mere few minutes.
If you dream of taking your music beyond the shower, you’ll want to do it right. Here you’ll learn the time-tested elements of songwriting craft and how to market your work.
Whether you dig pop, rock, hip-hop, R&B, or country, we’ll show you how to write songs that soar.
This course helped me develop my songwriting abilities and write great songs that I am really proud of. My teacher and classmates were so supportive and I learned a lot from the songs they shared.
Karen Rempel
writer
10-Week
-
Zoom
Real-time videoconference
Tuition: $439 (returning students: $409)
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One-on-One
Tuition: $1,795
Syllabus
This course helps you sharpen your skills at songwriting craft and work toward completion of one or two songs. Writers often repeat Songwriting II to continue their projects. Course components:
Lectures
Writing exercises
Workshopping of student projects (each student presenting work two times)
This course focuses on both individual and collaborative songwriting with an emphasis on the creative process from multiple angles to assist the student in developing a variety of skills and approaches.
Week 1
Refresher of Songwriting Basics I: Nuts and bolts. Historical overview.
Week 2
Refresher of Songwriting Basics II: Form. Structures. Templates.
Week 3
The Art of Collaboration I: Team songwriting. Plot/character/storytelling. Musical thinking
Week 4
The Art of Collaboration II: Song as an imperative in the music industry. Strategies for making a living as a songwriter. Finding the right team. Setting music to lyrics/lyrics to music.
Week 5
Integrating Music Technology: Rundown on music technology. Music-making tools (programs and programming). Crafting strong demos.
Week 6
Techniques: Structural aspects—“hearing” rhythm, rhyme, and form. Making smart compositional decisions. Hooks.
Week 7
Sharpening Your Collaborative Craft I: Co-writing models—lyricist/composer, Nashville, production-driven.
Week 8
Sharpening Your Collaborative Craft II: In-class co-writing and partner projects.
Week 9
Song Sharing: In-class performances. In-class lyric readings.
Week 10
The Business of Songwriting: Royalty streams. Performing rights organizations. Overview of publishing, master, and synch rights. Songwriters associations.
Note: Content may vary among individual classes.
Teachers
Jody Gray
Jody Gray is a composer, songwriter, music producer, and arranger of films, TV series, video games, and CDs. He has written songs for artists as diverse as Judy Collins, Ray Charles, Grace Jones, Skid Row, Dr. John, and Jennifer Holliday. He has produced over 30 albums, including multi-platinum hits in the Pacific Rim. He’s the musical director/composer/songwriter for the TV series Space Racers (NBC, Netflix). His work is featured on network, cable, and streamers, including Sex And the City, Law and Order SVU, The Tonight Show, Sesame Street, Courage the Cowardly Dog (Cartoon Network), Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Fairy Tale Forest, and the feature films Clifford’s Really Big Movie (WB), Arthur’s Missing Pal (Lionsgate), Stellaluna (MGM), What’s the Name of the Dame?,Drawing Home, and Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog. He attended the Julliard School.
Read moreJody Gray
Jody Gray
is a composer, songwriter, music producer, and arranger of films, TV series, video games, and CDs. He has written songs for artists as diverse as Judy Collins, Ray Charles, Grace Jones, Skid Row, Dr. John, and Jennifer Holliday. He has produced over 30 albums, including multi-platinum hits in the Pacific Rim. He’s the musical director/composer/songwriter for the TV series Space Racers (NBC, Netflix). His work is featured on network, cable, and streamers, including Sex And the City, Law and Order SVU, The Tonight Show, Sesame Street, Courage the Cowardly Dog (Cartoon Network), Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Fairy Tale Forest, and the feature films Clifford’s Really Big Movie (WB), Arthur’s Missing Pal (Lionsgate), Stellaluna (MGM), What’s the Name of the Dame?,Drawing Home, and Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog. He attended the Julliard School.
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