Writing Song Lyrics
Curriculum guideline
Classes will be conducted in the traditional creative-writing workshop format, in which students receive direction from their instructor and participate in exchanging constructive criticism with their peers.
The following may be combined with the workshop:
- lectures and discussions
- small group work
- assigned readings and class presentations
- in-class exercises
Course Content
- Students' own song lyric manuscripts and recordings will form the bulk of the course content.
- The history and evolution of songwriting will be studied, providing a foundation for students' own creative work.
- An exploration of different songwriting genres will be spread out across the duration of the course. This contextual material will complement the craft-oriented topics explored each week.
- Craft-oriented topics will include key aspects of song structure, literary devices, meter and rhyme.
- The published work of songwriters across a range of genres will offer perspective on various challenges of craft and form.
- Texts and videos on the art of songwriting, including artist interviews, will also feature in the course.
General Objectives
The student will become familiar with the poetic and narrative elements of song lyrics. The student will use these elements in constructing work that will be presented for class discussion.
Specific Objectives
Successful students will be able to
Pre-writing:
- Prepare for creating their own material by studying key aspects of song structure, including verse, chorus and bridge.
- Acquaint themselves with some musical fundamentals of songwriting, including pitch and rhythm aspects, while focusing primarily on the lyric element of songs studied.
- Consider personal experience and learn how this experience can be used in writing songs.
Writing:
- Identify a variety of modern and traditional forms and learn to use these forms in their song lyrics.
- Experiment with aspects of song structure including verse, chorus and bridge.
- Employ literary aspects such as character, setting, imagery, narrative arc and point-of-view in their song lyrics.
- Develop writing habits consistent with the production of quality written work.
- Produce readable, listenable and well-structured song lyrics.
Reading:
- Adapt and use the narrative and poetic techniques discovered in published song lyrics.
- Develop the critical skills necessary to judge the effectiveness of written work.
Revising:
- Recognize the value of revision as an essential writing process.
- Evaluate critical suggestions from instructor and peers, and incorporate them judiciously into the revised songs.
Several creative assignments submitted for workshopping will constitute up to 40% of the final grade. These may include:
- a song written in 4/4 time or 3/4 time
- a ballad written in a minor key
- a song about/inspired by a place
- a song written in third-person POV
- a song written as a letter or other type of document
- a suite of songs connected by a theme, character or place.
In-class exercises, constituting 20% of the final grade, may include work such as:
- a verse and chorus written in 4/4 time
- a verse and chorus written in 3/4 time
- a series of verses written on a theme.
These in-class exercises will encourage students to explore different aspects of the songwriting process.
An essay on a song or series of songs by an established artist will form at least 15% of the final grade.
Class participation will constitute up to 25% of the course grade. Participation includes contributions to workshops, written and verbal responses to other students' work, ability to process constructive criticism, and support in developing a constructive class atmosphere.
Students are required to attend 80% of the workshops. A student missing more than 20% of the workshops for any reason will receive a zero in Class Participation.
Textbooks and Materials to be purchased by students.
The following are examples of suggested texts. Instructors may assign recent editions of textbooks such as:
- A book that explores the craft and life of songwriters, such as Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting. Webb, Jimmy. (New York: Hachette Books, 1998).
- A text of interviews with songwriters, such as More Songwriters on Songwriting. Ed. Zollo, Paul. (Boston: Da Capo Press, 2016).