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The Creative Musician: Write Song Lyrics!

In this four-meeting course, students will learn to write lyrics to a song in a popular style.
Becca VanZant Anderson, Piano and Songwriting
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:
(25)
Class

What's included

4 live meetings
3 in-class hours
Homework
1-2 hours per week. This course is about writing lyrics, so after every class, learners should submit an update to their song. After the first class, they should submit the pop genre they have chosen and the general topic for their song. After the second class, they will submit their main ideas for the verses, chorus, and bridge of their song. After the third class, they should submit a draft of their full lyrics. After the fourth class, learners will submit their full revised lyrics. Homework should be submitted in a .pdf to the classroom.
Assessment
Learners will receive a written assessment on their homework. A letter grade can be provided if requested.
Grading
included

Class Experience

Do you have an idea for a song and want to learn how to write it? This class is for you! In this four-meeting class, you will learn different genres of pop music, why songs have verses, a chorus, and a bridge, rhyming in a song, and how to record vocals.

The first class will focus on 4 different genres of pop music: ballad, singer/songwriter, rock, and electronica. We will talk about what makes them similar, different, and which style works best for the type of song you want to write. The second class will be about the form of the songs, what makes verses, choruses, and bridges so important, and how you can write yours. The third class will focus on rhymes. We'll look at examples of songs that rhyme, songs that don't rhyme, and how to make rhymes of your own. Our last class will be about recording. There are lots of tools available now for your to record your song--from smartphone apps to microphones. We'll talk about what is best for your project.

The sample songs for this class are "I See the Light" by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, "Thunder" by Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, Ben McKee, Daniel Platzman, Alexander Grant, and Jayson DeZuzio, "I'm a Believer" by Neil Diamond, and "Hot Air Balloon" by Adam Young. We will listen to them online.
Learning Goals
Learners will learn the skills to write engaging song lyrics.
learning goal

Other Details

Supply List
Learners should bring a notebook and pencil to class to write down lyric ideas. A .pdf file for each class's homework will be provided.
Language of Instruction
English
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
4.8
25reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Bachelor's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Berklee College of Music
Hello Outschool! I'm Mrs. Becca, a lover of music, knitting, books, and baking. Having a Bachelor's in Music Composition for Film, TV, and Games from Berklee College of Music, I teach creative classes on writing music, performing music, music theory, sound effects, and musical score composition. I have studied music through piano, voice, and composition for 19+ years and taught music for 8+ years.

My love for art and creativity is best summed up by the author C. S. Lewis: “We do not want merely to see beauty . . . We want something else which can hardly be put into words — to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it."

Reviews

Live Group Class
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$14

weekly or $55 for 4 classes
1x per week, 4 weeks
45 min

Completed by 6 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 10-14
1-4 learners per class

This class is no longer offered
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