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.  He has a lifetime of experiences making great songs and a deep passion to share that wisdom with emerging songwriters.  His class The Lyrical Songwriter:  A Masterclass with Phil Cody will allow a select number of experienced songwriters the chance to study for 8 Tuesday evenings with a master.

Eligibility:  by permission, for experienced writers.  To discuss your candidacy, please register for the class here and someone will follow up with you, or you may call 818-848-7664 /  818-848-SONG.  If you are not admitted to this class, we encourage you to take THE ROOTS, the foundational course for song study. 
When:  Tuesday evenings, 7:30-10pm, for 8 weeks.  This popular class will again be offered Summer 2012.  To get on the waiting list, please contact The Songwriting School at 818-848-7664 or let us know your interest at this contact form.
Tuition = $399

Below is a letter from Philip Cody, and below that pertinent class information.

Dear Songwriter
You may be wondering what an old fart like me can teach you about writing lyrics and the music that goes with them. To be honest, I’ve been wondering the same thing myself. I know that I don’t want to teach you the mechanics of lyric writing or how to get your songs heard, published and recorded . . . there are plenty of teachers and resources at your disposal that do a credible job of that already.

This course, The Lyrical Songwriter, assumes that you already know how to do a reasonably good job of weaving words and music together into something that approximates a song and that you are capable of being honest about your own skill and talent level and have a general idea of where, how and what you need, want or desperately desire to improve . . .

And that’s where I come in. I can help. I can push, stretch and challenge you . . . in a nice but fiendishly diabolical way, I promise.

Each class will consist of three parts –
1.    Listening – we will be spending the beginning of each conversation listening and evaluating songs – our own and those of other songwriters
2.    Talking – always talking – about everything and anything – from what you had for breakfast to why you hate writing bridges to why you decided to break up with your significant other – it’s all good and it can all be turned into . . . LYRICS!!! I will also be putting up an online discussion forum for those class members who want to keep the conversation going when school is out and for those who need immediate help with a particular songwriting problem.
3.    Doing – This is where the fiendishly diabolical (but nice) stuff happens and, for a few minutes, I get to assume the role of teacher or mad scientist and present you with exercises that are designed to get you out of your comfort zone and make you sweat. Trust me . . . you’ll thank me for it later.

A general outline of the subject matter that will be covered in The Lyrical Songwriter follows. It is not set in stone and will vary as my mood and your needs change. The important thing to remember here is that this is a course for and about you. What you feel you need to talk about takes precedence over all other considerations:
1.    Who we are and why we write songs –
2.    Uniqueness of perspective
3.    Mining our lives for material
4.    A brief history of popular music and why it matters
5.  Collaborations
6.    The Art of the Re-write
7.    The Brill Building Simulator
8.    Perfecting the three minute movie
9.    Words to music/Music to words
10. Earning a living writing songs
11. Goodbye and good luck – a review

And there you have a brief overview of The Lyrical Songwriter. I can’t wait to get started and I hope to see you there.
Peace,
Philip Cody