Wednesday Afternoons starting 6/19!  In this valuable 8 week class, learn and put to use power strategies for writing commercial hit song lyrics with a Platinum and Award-Winning Lyricist and respected teacher.  Mark Winkler is a successful writer and artist who has been teaching a much-beloved lyric writing class at UCLA for years. Join Mark and fellow writers for this hands-on guide to crafting powerful lyrics.

Starts Th 3/28!  "Topline" has become the term for lyric and melody in the pop, hip-hop, & r&b world.  Great topliners take a track and transform it.  Learn from someone who has been creating hits as writer or artist for most of his life, Grammy-Nominated Billboard & ASCAP Award Winner Ryan Toby.  

Enrolling now!  Still two spots left. Class has begun but you can join without being behind.   Graduates of this class range from first-time writers to a Grammy- and Oscar-nominated songwriter, from open mic regulars to a Multi-Platinum Artist, from hobbyists to current and former major label talent.  Now this beloved class is available online and run concurrently with the two on-campus sections of THE ROOTS so that you will have opportunities to expand your collaborative network with songwriter members of our community here in Los Angeles & Burbank.  Build the skills to write the songs that matter and develop meaningful peer and collaborative relationships with writers all over the world through this unique interactive online community.

Powerful Collaborator Class starts for SPRING 2013 Wednesday 5/15/13, 7:30pm:   In CO-WRITING: THE ART & BUSINESS OF COLLABORATION, this hands-on class will teach you the artistry and business of co-writing in a professional, real-world setting.  Meet, learn from, and write for or with hit writers, up and coming artists, and your talented peers.

Tuesdays 1-3pm, starting April 30, 2013!   John Keller has been a professional songwriter for decades, a career that has led to multiple publishing deals, 70+ cuts, and the #1 smash hit "Love Is" with Vanessa Williams & Brian McKnight.  In this class, learn essential elements of the craft & business of being a professional songwriter.

Thursdays OR Fridays 12-2pm, Ongoing.  Thursdays next opening 4/18/13 ; Fridays space available starting 4/12.  Get on the waiting list if a section is FULL.    The Songwriting School is proud to have one of LA's finest voice teachers and vocal coaches in-house Tuesdays through Saturdays for private instruction and to teach two remarkable classes.  Michael Goodrich has created this Vocal Technique class specifically to give you singers the technical development you need.  Limited to 6 singers, you work every Friday for 8 weeks with Michael as he helps you develop into the best singer you can be.  You will grow as a singer from the one-on-one work, and you will receive profound learning as you watch your classmates do the same.  Small group study accelerates your ability to "connect the dots" between what you are trying to accomplish and what that might sound, look, and feel like.

We will do this again in the SUMMER 2013!  Dates, TBA:   Join Grammy Winning Songwriter Tim Fagan ("Lucky" Jason Mraz/Colbie Caillat) for our Second Installment of Hooks That Kill:  The 36-Hour Song Project.  Tim's wildly popular class Hooks That Kill has given songwriters access to the catchiest and most compelling aspects in their songs.  In this weekend-long intensive, develop the skills to "get it across"--the power to communicate directly, powerfully, and memorably in song.  The weekend culminates in recording in a professional recording studio with a professional engineer and with the opportunity to perform in front of a full house at an Open Mic Showcase for students of The Songwriting School the final night.  Through a mix of presentation, discussion, hands-on exercises, assignments, and collaborative work, you will gain the confidence to see ideas through to their catchiest best in all the stages of a song, from inception to studio to performance.

Starts Saturday 6/22/13!  Paul Zollo is a songwriter and author of the remarkable Songwriters on Songwriting, a collection of revealing interviews with songwriting's icons about the craft we all love.  If there are six degrees of separation in the world, here's a chance to get your own down to TWO with Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Paul Simon, Randy Newman, R.E.M., Brian Wilson, Frank Zappa, Burt Bacharach, Jackson Browne, Leonard Cohen....

This course will delve into the collective wisdom of the legendary songwriters Zollo has interviewed, from Sammy Cahn through Dylan to Steely Dan and beyond, on every aspect of the art and craft of songwriting. We will take a journey into the worlds of lyric (and all it entails) and music – and most importantly, the “crucial balance,” as Paul Simon put it, where it all comes together, with a series of discussions each week, plus a lab period in which students perform assigned songs (or play demos of the song).

Explore rhyme craft, for example, with the thoughts of Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Randy Newman, Leonard Cohen, Tom Lehrer and others on the subject.

Each class will deal with a celebration of all these craft elements of writing songs (rhyme, melody, metaphor, chord progressions, prosody, collaboration, etc.) entwined in the ideas and opinions, which contradict each other as often as they agree, of master songwriters. We’ll also explore the artistic aspects of songwriting – those elements we aim to achieve that are beyond craft – how to create something timeless, for example, or how to create a songwriting method which is effective and productive.

These discussions are then followed each week by a lab period in which students play songs. There will be very specific assignments each week designed to exercise different songwriting muscles.

Starts Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013.  As of 5/16 there are 2 spots left!      Gifted vocal coach & voice instructor Michael Goodrich will give you singers what you need most:  the power to move an audience and the skills, concepts, and understanding to consistently deliver your best performance.  In this Vocal Performance Class, you will work with one of LA's most sought-after vocal coaches in group and individual training to become the performer you have always dreamed of, allowing you to sing with confidence and power every time and deliver the best PERFORMANCE possible.

Next OFFERING, FALL 2013:    He writes with Babyface every week. He penned the Grammy-nominated and BMI Song of the Year "No Air" for Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown. Now Erik "Blu2th" Griggs teaches you what to do once you get "in the room" to take your songs to the Next Level, from Good to Great.

In this six-week class, Blu2th will mix presentation, demonstration, an examination of hit songs, his songs, and some of your songs, along with exercises to develop an enhanced skillset to take you to the next level in your path as a songwriter.  Special focus of class:  the development of great song concepts and the skills of topline (lyric and melody in the contemporary music landscape).

This Winter join Tim for a one-off event, TBA!  Work with the Grammy winning Songwriter Tim Fagan (“Lucky” Jason Mraz/Colbie Caillat) and hunt down more of those moments that give you and your audience goosebumps.  You'll be challenged each week with in- and out-of-class exercises and song assignments grooved to get you writing catchier music than you ever have before.  Each semester Tim Fagan challenges himself to dive deeper into his own craft by forcing you to dive deeper into your own.  Specific focus of this semester's class to be announced.  Previous classes have explored all aspects of hook-writing and have pushed writers to mine their heroes to understand and truly own what makes us each unique as writers and artists.

This wildly popular class is sure to sell out, so enroll early.  

Spring 2013 Section started Monday, 4/29/13!  Still chance to join and make-up first class.  Philip Cody's career as a songwriter has earned him numerous #1 hits, gold and platinum records, and ASCAP songwriter awards.  He was a tenant in the fabled Brill Building, writing songs with and for Neil Sedaka and alongside Hall of Famers like Lieber & Stoller and Goffin & King.  His work has been recorded by artists as diverse as Elvis, Sheryl Crow, Huey Lewis & the News, and Clay Aiken.

Starts Tuesday 2/19/13!    This 4-wk class meets in a professional recording studio each week and covers all the skills you'll need to record a song in Pro Tools:  to take your projects from the idea stage through arranging and tracking to the completion of a mix.

Level 1 begins Sa 4/27, 10am!  Level 2 section in progress now; next to be opened by demand.  Logic Pro 9 is a songwriter’s dream! More than any other software recording application, Logic Pro 9 comes complete with everything you need to write, arrange, and mix to achieve a great song production in any genre.

With Unlimited Class Enrollment, a student pays tuition that covers entrance to every class in the Spring 2013 calendar for which he or she is eligible.  Spring 2013 Unlimited Class Enrollment Tuition = $1999.  Please note the recently reduced total amount.  In order to decide if this is the most sensible plan for you, contact The Songwriting School at 818-848-7664 to discuss the courses you wish to take.  Sometimes this option results in significant savings; other times, a student is better off taking classes "a la carte" style.  Spring classes must have started by 5/1/13 unless agreed upon separately with your faculty advisor.  This excludes private lessons or one-off weekend or workshop events and is for ongoing regular classes at The Songwriting School.

Tuition must be paid in full in the advance of the first class to be eligible for the per-class discounts this affords.

Please note: we will be adding a number of classes to the menu, and the tuition amount for this opportunity will rise accordingly.  Registering at the current rate may prove a savings of 25% over the later unlimited rate, and close to $2k in total classwork.

Returns Summer 2013!  In The Beatles for Guitar:  A Songwriting Study, you will examine Beatles songs from their early, middle, and late periods, learn to play them on guitar, understand the theory behind their construction, and (if you choose) learn to apply those concepts to your own songs.

Winter 2013 Sections Enrolling:  Level 1, Monday nights (5/6, 7:30pm - note new start date), Level 2, Tuesday nights  (5/7, 7:30pm).    Learn the fundamentals of Music Theory--melody, harmony, & rhythm--and how to recognize them by Ear.  Learn why music affects you the way it does--then learn how to affect the rest of us with your songs.

Level 2 Starts Th 3/28/13; Next Level 1 By Demand:   Have you owned a guitar for years but have only a passing acquaintance with it?  Maybe you learned a few chords but never went forward?  Or perhaps you have just started to teach yourself and would like the guidance of a gifted teacher and the encouragement and inspiration of a group setting.