My Songwriting Journey
“On Course to Songwriting Success”
On the first day of class in Keys to College Success, the students spend time getting to know their classmates and instructor. One way I try to break the ice is to give them a short trivia quiz to learn a little bit about me. I have them guess the answers to questions on my favorite TV shows, family life, and interests, including this one:
It has always been a dream of mine to _______.
A. Own a chicken farm
B. Learn to play chess
C. Write a hit song
D. Go skydiving
Little did I know when I created the quiz, that in the process of guiding students to achieve their goals and dreams, they would be helping me work toward my own—using the very tools I was teaching them.
It all started with a class activity. The students had just spent some time dreaming big, creating a “bucket list” and identifying obstacles in their way. For the next step, they needed a partner. We had an odd number that day, so I joined in.
It was my turn to tell my partner about my dream of writing a hit song and what was stopping me. My list of excuses was long: I didn’t have time, had too many other responsibilities, didn’t know how, couldn’t read music or play an instrument, and might not be any good at it. My partner’s job was to suggest small steps I could take to knock down the barriers and move towards my goal; we then switched partners a couple more times, and by the end of class, I had a bunch of ideas and the motivation to get started!
I had zero experience with songwriting when I signed up for a free MOOC on Coursera to learn the nuts and bolts of how to write a song. It was a lot more complicated than I imagined, and when I found out we would have to record ourselves singing our song, I almost quit. My students weren’t about to let me do that. I promised them I would write a complete set of song lyrics song dedicated to them. Though that song won’t make it to the airwaves, giving them a copy of it on final exam day felt amazing. It reminded them, and me, that using the strategies from class can help anyone achieve their goals.
The next semester, I set a new goal: to enter five songs in the Lyrics Only category of the Great American Song Contest, an international competition for amateur songwriters. Since I was pretty new at it, I didn’t expect to win anything, but I would get written feedback from the judge, an accomplished songwriter, on every song I submitted. My students would ask me how the songs were coming along, which kept me accountable and made for great examples on the course lessons. The contest deadline was near the end of the semester, and I met my goal, celebrating with the students.
In spring 2015, I got word that one of the songs I entered was a Top 5 Winner in the Lyrics Only category, and a second was a Finalist (honorable mention). I was so stoked to tell my students! Since then, I’ve earned a top 2 spot in Lyrics Only and have been working with a co-writer to bring my words to life with music. We’ve written 3 full songs together so far, and we just got word that we were an Honor Finalist in the Country category with one of them this year.
If it hadn’t been for my students, I might never have even started with songwriting. They inspire me every day!
On the first day of class in Keys to College Success, the students spend time getting to know their classmates and instructor. One way I try to break the ice is to give them a short trivia quiz to learn a little bit about me. I have them guess the answers to questions on my favorite TV shows, family life, and interests, including this one:
It has always been a dream of mine to _______.
A. Own a chicken farm
B. Learn to play chess
C. Write a hit song
D. Go skydiving
Little did I know when I created the quiz, that in the process of guiding students to achieve their goals and dreams, they would be helping me work toward my own—using the very tools I was teaching them.
It all started with a class activity. The students had just spent some time dreaming big, creating a “bucket list” and identifying obstacles in their way. For the next step, they needed a partner. We had an odd number that day, so I joined in.
It was my turn to tell my partner about my dream of writing a hit song and what was stopping me. My list of excuses was long: I didn’t have time, had too many other responsibilities, didn’t know how, couldn’t read music or play an instrument, and might not be any good at it. My partner’s job was to suggest small steps I could take to knock down the barriers and move towards my goal; we then switched partners a couple more times, and by the end of class, I had a bunch of ideas and the motivation to get started!
I had zero experience with songwriting when I signed up for a free MOOC on Coursera to learn the nuts and bolts of how to write a song. It was a lot more complicated than I imagined, and when I found out we would have to record ourselves singing our song, I almost quit. My students weren’t about to let me do that. I promised them I would write a complete set of song lyrics song dedicated to them. Though that song won’t make it to the airwaves, giving them a copy of it on final exam day felt amazing. It reminded them, and me, that using the strategies from class can help anyone achieve their goals.
The next semester, I set a new goal: to enter five songs in the Lyrics Only category of the Great American Song Contest, an international competition for amateur songwriters. Since I was pretty new at it, I didn’t expect to win anything, but I would get written feedback from the judge, an accomplished songwriter, on every song I submitted. My students would ask me how the songs were coming along, which kept me accountable and made for great examples on the course lessons. The contest deadline was near the end of the semester, and I met my goal, celebrating with the students.
In spring 2015, I got word that one of the songs I entered was a Top 5 Winner in the Lyrics Only category, and a second was a Finalist (honorable mention). I was so stoked to tell my students! Since then, I’ve earned a top 2 spot in Lyrics Only and have been working with a co-writer to bring my words to life with music. We’ve written 3 full songs together so far, and we just got word that we were an Honor Finalist in the Country category with one of them this year.
If it hadn’t been for my students, I might never have even started with songwriting. They inspire me every day!