Songwriting Lessons

About this course

Learners develop original songs from initial ideas, working with lyrics, melody, chords, harmony and rhythm. The course examines how text and music combine, alongside song structure, themes, storytelling and basic music theory. Practical exercises include analysing existing lyrics and melodies, creating complete compositions, and developing individual and collaborative work across different musical styles. Sessions are taught in a group, with opportunities to ask questions about songwriting as an industry practice. In the later sessions, participants can share new work in an informal showcase, either a cappella or with an instrument.

What you'll learn

• Analyse song structures, lyrical content, melody, harmony and rhythm
• Write crafted lyrics connected to themes, situations and surroundings
• Compose complete songs using lyrics and melody over chords
• Apply basic music theory and storytelling approaches to songwriting
• Create original compositions for informal performance or further development

Is this course right for you?

The course is intended for all levels, including people new to songwriting and those with more experience. Instrumental or singing ability is not required. Teaching takes place in a group, with both individual songwriting and collaborative exercises, followed by optional sharing of work in an informal showcase.

• Suitable for learners who do not play an instrument
• Covers all musical genres
• Includes individual and collaborative songwriting
• Offers opportunities to share work informally with the group

Before you go

• Bring a pen, notebook and water.
• Learners are asked to bring songwriting ideas, whether preliminary or more developed.
• An instrument may be brought if the learner works with one; otherwise, their voice can be used.