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This songwriting course is a series of classes designed to take you through everything you need to know to get started writing and producing your own songs!
2024 TMV Songwriter's group after a monthly "TMV First Friday New Performer Open Mic"
Songwriting I: Introduction to Lyrical Songwriting
This 6-week introductory class will:
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Explore different approaches to songwriting (theory and practice);
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Examine and discuss classic examples of songwriting across various genres and time periods;
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Present a broad overview of the mechanics of melodic and lyrical composition.
At the end of the course, the student will have created a basic melody, lyric, and sectional arrangement for their own original song.
Songwriting II: Development and Demo
This 6-week class, which builds upon the lessons and melodic/lyrical compositions from "Introduction to Songwriting", will:
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explore different approaches to arrangement (structure and instrumentation) of the basic melody and lyrics of a song (theory and practice);
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compare and contrast arrangements of the same popular songs by different artists;
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present a broad overview of the mechanics of song arrangement and production;
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present a broad overview of basic recording equipment and software — such as interfaces, digital audio workstations, plugins, etc. — and the use of these for the purposes of creating a demonstration recording (demo) of the student's song;
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present practical approaches to networking with musicians and other music industry professionals, with a goal toward collaboratively creating a demo of the student's song.
Throughout the program, the student will create a basic arrangement (structure and instrumentation) and demo recording of their song.
Songwriting III: The Business of Songwriting
This 6-week class, which builds upon the lessons and melodic/lyrical compositions from "Introduction to Songwriting" (with a focus on next steps for the basic demo recordings from “Development and Demo”) will:
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explore various legal and commercial concepts (theory and practice) for music-centric intellectual property law (e.g. copyright, songwriting credits, publishing and PROs, royalties, etc.)
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compare and contrast different business models for the creation and sale of recorded music, as well as the management of intellectual properties and the artists who create them;
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present a broad overview of the mechanics of song copyright registration, publishing, collecting royalties, licensing and syncing, and digital streaming of your own product;
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present practical approaches to securing management, publishers, legal counsel, etc., as well as networking to have your songs recorded and/or performed by other artists.
At the end of the course, the student will have a working, basic knowledge of how to take a finished song from copyright to publishing to release via digital outlets.
NEW! Intro to Song Co-Writing
This 6-week class, which builds upon the lessons and melodic/lyrical compositions from "Intro to Lyrical Songwriting,” presents students with a variety of theories and practical techniques for co-writing songs with 1 or more people. Working in groups of 2 to 3 people, students will:
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explore methods for sharing and developing both lyrical and melodic ideas with other writers in a constructive, respectful manner;
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compare and contrast the writing styles and approaches of famous writing teams;
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gain firsthand experience in both co-writing from scratch and co-writing with preset ideas and styles in mind;
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discover and hone their own particular strengths as part of a songwriting team.
Throughout the program, topics and techniques will be presented in the context of practical application, so that by the end of the course, each student will have a basic, working knowledge of how to creatively and effectively contribute to writing a song as part of a team.