Crafting Great Lyrics: Power Strategies with Platinum-Writer Mark Winkler - Returns for WINTER 2025 IN-PERSON & OLINE - TUESDAY Nights 7:30p PT Starting 1/14/25!

Mark Winkler RETURNS WINTER 2025, to teach you to write Great Lyrics fully IN-PERSON and ONLINE OVER ZOOM and on-demand, Tuesday nights 7:30pm Pacific STARTING 1/14/25!

Join Mark Winkler for a book reading, workshop, and book signing event of his newly published text on the craft of lyric writing The Songwriter's Handbook: Power Strategies for Crafting Great Lyrics, THURSDAY 12/12, 7:30pm. 

> RSVP to attend in person • RSVP to tune in over zoom

Watch Mark Winkler's great talk "A Song is Like a House" and get the handout at this link.

Watch Mark Winkler's Zoom conversation on WRITING STRONGER LYRICS:

Mark Winkler has been teaching a much-respected lyric writing class at UCLA Extension for over a decade and here at The Songwriting School for nearly that long.  He uses a series of essential principles, his "Top Ten Tips for Successful Commercial Lyrics," has a series of actionable exercises, and holds students accountable for their work in an inspiring, informative, supportive, positive class setting. The title of this class does not mean "Pop" music per se; think of "commercial" as meaning accessible, direct, powerful and therefore capable of commercial success, in any genre. 

WATCH VIDEO BELOW.

VIDEO RESOURCES & CLASS DESCRIPTION:
Platinum-selling lyricist Mark Winkler spoke at this open event on Mastery. Here is a five minute highlight:

Course Eligibility:  Open to lyricists and songwriters of all abilities.  You are likely to get the most out of the class if you have already taken THE ROOTS, our foundational course for song study, but this is not a requirement.

Format for Class: Class will take place in-person at historic Enterprise Recording Studios in Burbank, AND online using Zoom video conferencing with real-time interactivity for class members with Mark. In addition, the video archives of class will be available at a private class site, along with full handouts. If you want in-class feedback on your homework, there will be submission guides and weekly deadlines. There will be opportunity for feedback outside of class as well.  The archive of each week's class will be available "on-demand" 48-hrs after the real-time class so that students in any time zone or with any set of commitments might still participate in the class weekly. Previous online class members have been here in LA with impossible commutes, in Canada, the UK, South Africa, Australia, and elsewhere. And now that online is our only option, welcome to this vibrant creative community, wherever you are.

About the Instructor:

Mark Winkler is a platinum award winning singer/lyricist who has had over 250 of his songs recorded and/or sung by such artists as Dianne Reeves, Jane Monheit, Liza Minnelli, Bob Dorough, Steve Tyrell, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Lea Di Lauria and Britain’s Claire Martin. He also has charted high on the Jazz Week charts with his last 4 vocal releases, as well as being named a 2017 ”Rising Star” Male Jazz Vocalist in Downbeat Magazine.

He released his new CD “The Company I Keep” in June of 2017. His last recording “Jazz And Other Four Letter Words” got him a Four Star Downbeat Review, A five star All About Jazz Review and was named the best Jazz vocal CD of 2015 in Jazziz Magazine who did an article on him. This CD once again finds Mark mixing his own originals with songs by the likes of Prince, Donald Fagen and The Gershwins. This time he is joined by 22 stellar musicians including Cheryl Bentyne, Steve Tyrell, Sara Gazarek, David Benoit, John Clayton, Claire Martin, Jeff Hamilton and John Beasley.

Last year, four of his lyrics were featured on the new David Benoit/Jane Monheit CD 2 In Love which just received a four star rating from All Music Guide. This comes on the heels of more and more of his songs being recorded by the best singers in Jazz.

He has played in clubs in Los Angeles, in New York at the Blue Note and Birdland and has sung in London, Tokyo and Australia. As part of “West Coast Cool” with Cheryl Bentyne he has performed at the Syracuse Jazz Festival and in Tuscon, Arizona, Toronto, Canada and Madison, Wisconsin among many other cities. (reprinted from his website with permission, markwinklermusic.com)