July 27, 2021

WRITING FOR MUSICAL THEATER, How an Idea Becomes More, with Bob Garrett

Bob Garrett was a Broadway star, a hit writer, a Motown staff writer, and vocal coach to the stars (Katy Perry, Jessica Lange...). He has advised on countless musicals (The Color Purple, etc) and has co-written his own, in development. Learn from Bob and some recent graduates of his class about the journey of figuring out when an idea might be bigger than just one song, and how to grow that idea into an entire show. Bob Garrett is the rare mentor who has "done...
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July 13, 2021

ARE LYRICS IMPORTANT? A Conversation with Platinum Lyricist Mark Winkler

Platinum Lyricist Mark Winkler sat down with ROOTS songwriting instructor Rob Seals for a free Zoom conversation to discuss if and how lyrics really matter in songs. They examine a few songs, field questions from attendees, and engage in a conversation about how to create our best work. Mark Winkler is again leading a song feedback setting, The Masters' Workshop, Thursdays at 7pm Pacific on Zoom.  Mark's beloved lyric writing class, WRITING COMMERCIAL HIT LYRICS meets for 8 wks. >  Not enrolled yet? Learn more or enroll here. WATCH THE FULL VIDEO, BELOW--SCROLL DOWN TO...
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April 20, 2021

How to Workshop Your Songs--and Why You Should!

  "One of the best ways to grow as a songwriter is to get feedback on your work from a trusted gatekeeper," says Platinum Lyricist Mark Winkler. And Mark ought to know. He remembers the first critique a publisher gave him--and how it motivated him to study with a mentor and hone his craft. Now countless cuts as a songwriter, charting albums as an artist, and a record-breaking off-Broadway show later, Mark has provided that mentorship and gatekeeping for so many emerging...
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March 13, 2021

UNDERSTANDING & REIMAGINING POP MUSIC PRODUCTION

In this workshop, composer/producer/remixer Alex Marlowe walks us through principles and concepts in modern pop production to teach us how to approach our own songs. We examine "drivers license," the Olivia Rodrigo hit, and begin to reimagine parts and more
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February 04, 2021

ARRANGING, PRODUCTION, & KILLER KEYBOARD PARTS, with Alex Marlowe

What makes for a great production? A strong arrangement of a compelling song. Learn the FIVE TYPES OF BALANCE in this workshop from The Songwriting School as a means to improve your arrangements, parts, and productions. And learn approaches to creating killer keyboard parts in those arrangements.
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January 20, 2021

HOW TO LICENSE YOUR SONGS IN TV & FILM, with Erin Dillon and Karen Dezelle of Songtradr

A "sync license" allows the synchronization of a song with an accompanying media source, like a tv show, film, commercial, web content, or more. For songwriters, sync licensing can provide both valuable revenue streams and significant public outlets for our work. The Songwriting School is grateful to welcome Erin Dillon, a former music supervisor who is now Director of Music Curation for Songtradr, and Karen Dezelle, singer/songwriter with multiple placements who is a previous Songwriting School student and current Curator and...
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January 15, 2021

HOW TO WRITE BETTER LYRICS, with Platinum Lyricist Mark Winkler

Platinum Lyricist Mark Winkler and The Roots songwriting instructor Rob Seals explore HOW TO WRITE YOUR BEST LYRICS in this 90-minute Zoom event that includes song analysis, QnA, and insights from Mark about voice, rhyme, style, being "too smart for your own good," and how to truly know your best work. Watch the full workshop, below. The Songwriting School is honored to have Mark Winkler teaching two classes, fully interactive over Zoom: Writing Commercial Hit Lyrics and the more advance...
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January 01, 2021

HOW TO WRITE FOR MUSICAL THEATER, with Bob Garrett

Raise the stakes, rewrite, find trusted collaborators, and join a community who will push, challenge, and affirm you. These are just some of the insights from the lively conversation with Bob Garrett on How to Write for Musical Theater at The Songwriting School.
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October 13, 2020

5 THINGS SONGWRITERS DO TO MESS UP THEIR SONGS--AND HOW TO FIX THEM, with Platinum Writer Mark Winkler

What are 5 Things Songwriters Do to Mess Up Their Songs, and how can we fix them? Platinum Writer Mark Winkler sits down with Rob Seals, instructor of THE ROOTS songwriting class, to discuss just that. Watch the full video below, and grab the PDF handout as well. Mark's class Writing Commercial Hit Lyrics  is enrolling. Click to learn more or enroll. Tuition reduced for early enrollment. Mark Winkler is again leading a song feedback setting, The Masters' Workshop, Thursdays at 7pm Pacific on Zoom. ...
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October 07, 2020

MAKING A DEFINING RECORD, with PRODUCER JOHN ALAGIA

The Songwriting School was honored to welcome producer/songwriter/mix engineer John Alagia, whose skill and integrity helped artists like Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Lukas Nelson, Rachael Yamagata, Mandy Moore, and so many others make defining records. He spoke with his old friend Rob Seals (The Roots songwriting class instructor)  over Zoom while visiting his hometown of Louisville, KY in a thoughtful and inspiring conversation about Making a Defining Record.  WATCH THE CONVERSATION WITH PRODUCER JOHN ALAGIA   INTERESTED IN EXPANDING YOUR...
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