In this five week introduction to songwriting course, students will learn the fundamentals of songwriting. They will learn how to write their own lyrics and create a melody to make their own song. I will encourage free writing on a daily basis and offer a short three minute opportunity in the start of most classes to put their thoughts down on paper in order to get their creativity flowing. The goal of the course is to equip the learners with the tools necessary to write a great song, share in the joy of the creative process and make revisions to their original pieces before the final opportunity to perform their original songs for the class during the last week.

The curriculum will address the following topics and answer the following questions:

Week 1: What is songwriting? What are the parts of a song? What careers are there in songwriting?

Week 2: What is a title and a hook of a song? What is subject and theme?

Week 3: What is rhythm and what are syllables? What does rhyming/rhyme scheme mean in songwriting? How do you create strong images in your song and why are they important? 

Week 4: What does it look like to write focused lyrics? We will make final revisions to their originals this week in preparation for their performance in week five.

Week 5: Learners will have the opportunity to perform their original songs for the class. I will give a maximum of three critiques to ensure everyone an opportunity to person. I will also offer one on one classes for more in-depth time together to dig into their songs and their performance if this is of interest to the students.

I will teach by utilizing work sheets, interactive screen-sharing, class discussions and break out rooms.

I am passionate about each learner leaving the class with a song that they are both proud of and eager to share with others.