Writing The Hit Song

Catalog description

Music sits at the forefront of creative and technological revolutions, and songwriting remains the fundamental form of its expression. This course will focus on the creative process of songwriting, but will contextualize the art form within a fundamentally shifting industry. In this course, students will write, co-write, and analyze songs in order to establish and engage their own songwriting voice. Songwriting exercises, in-class critique, guest speakers from the worlds of art and business, and a final presentation of finished work will provide a holistic picture of what is created when a song is written. In addition, focus will be placed on what the song is from a business standpoint. Issues of publishing, copyright, mechanical royalties, licensing, and synchronization will be discussed via readings and guest speakers from music’s legal and administrative worlds.