Soulful Songwriting: How To Begin, Collaborate, And Finish Your Song

Songwriting can serve as a surprising pathway to celebrating, healing, and telling the stories our souls want to tell. We all know a great song when we hear one, but how do we go about writing our own, whether just beginning or well-seasoned in songwriting? In this class we’ll explore the basics of songwriting, including how to craft great lyrics, the A to Z’s of what makes a song work, writing from prompts, tips on how to collaborate with other songwriters, melding music & lyrics and more. You’ll give feedback and encouragement to other participants and have the opportunity to submit your work-in-process for review and suggestions. There will be online discussions, videos, readings and resources to peruse, and specific examples from established songwriters to help inspire your creativity. Plus, we’ll have two 40 – minute conference calls to get to know one another and discuss questions and topics voice-to-voice. Plan on spending at least 1-3 hours on class assignments each week.

Week by Week

Week One: Getting Started & Generating Ideas

We’ll begin with an overview of standardsong forms & construction, why we love the songs we love, and start our own song using a variety of writing prompts, and listening to the work of established songwriters.

Week 2: Working through it

We’ll address the song’s Point of View, Identity Questions, and other specifics to hone in on making it stronger. We’ll use specific rhythm pattern exercises to help fine tune lyric placement, with specific examples to illustrate. We’ll have our first conference call.

Week 3: Revision & Collaboration

We’ll use specific tools to fine tune and finish the song(s), begin (or continue) collaboration with others, and have the option to submit your in-progress or finished work for review & constructive criticism.

Week 4: Review / Taking Care of Our Work

Included will be a review of songwriting tips, plus more resources to explore including mp3s, videos, reading lists, etc, to use going forward. How to copyright & protect your songs, start your own publishing company, performance right organizations & how, when & if it’s time to join, and more. We’ll have our final conference call during this week.

Who Should Take This Class

This class is appropriate for a wide variety of people interested specifically in songwriting, including everyone from those who are diving in for the first time to experienced songwriters. You do not need to know how to read music or play an instrument to take this class.

Format

This is an online class. Each week, a new week will open full of resources, discussion questions, and writing prompts. Students should expect to spend at least 1-3 hours per week perusing resources and readings, answering a discussion question, engaging in writing prompts, and responding to peers’ work. From our interactions, we sustain a welcoming and inspiring community together.

About the Teacher

Kelley Hunt brings her unique blend of jazz, blues, rock and gospel music to her TLA audience and will be showcasing songs from her latest CD, “The Beautiful Bones” as well as material from previous recordings.This national recording artist/songwriter/guitarist/and soulful piano player will combine her passionate stage presence with her superior vocal, keyboard and songwriting skills especially for Friday’s intimate concert. Vintage Guitar magazine said Kelley’s “rich, soulful voice is an instrument in and of itself.” Her 1,500 performances include festivals, concerts and six appearances on “Prairie Home Companion.”