April 29, 2022

IN THE PRODUCER'S CHAIR, with SHELDON GOMBERG

The Songwriting School is proud to welcome Sheldon Gomberg! Sheldon has created so much enduringly beautiful music, as producer/engineer/mixer/session musician. He was one of the Producers of the 2014 Grammy-winning Blues Album of the Year (Ben Harper/Charlie Musselwhite's Get Up!), a record which he engineered and mixed entirely himself.

His production and engineering credits include some of the luminaries in Americana and singer/songwriter music...


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February 04, 2022

STRIKING CREATIVE GOLD: CREATIVITY WORKSHOP, with #1 Country Songwriter Rick Beresford

Join #1 Nashville songwriter Rick Beresford for some valuable ways to mine and cultivate the richness of your creativity in this free zoom workshop, recorded January 29, 2022 in conversation with Roots songwriting instructor Rob Seals at The Songwriting School.Rick's beloved country songwriting and workshopping class The Country Songwriting Manual meets Sundays 1-3pm Pacific with additional, extensive private and small group song workshopping to give you feedback. Class runs 8 wks, live over Zoom and on-demand, with additional and extensive...
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January 28, 2022

MAKING MONEY, WRITING LYRICS, with Platinum Lyricist Mark Winkler

Platinum Lyricist Mark Winkler speaks with The Roots songwriting class instructor Rob Seals and gets under the hood for some essential techniques in successful commercial lyric writing. We analyze a few songs in the service of that study, and Mark offers some counsel for making money making music.  > Mark's beloved class Writing Commercial Hit Lyrics: learn more or enroll here at reduced tuition.  >  More advanced writer or a graduate of Mark's classes? Mark leads a weekly peer/pro song feedback room,The Masters'...
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August 04, 2021

5 Questions to Ask as Performer or Composer of the Song

When hit writer Bob Garrett is advising a performer, an actor, or a songwriter, there are five essential questions he has them ask and answer in order to make the song as strong as it can be. Watch this 60 second clip: Or to watch the whole conversation: Bob Garrett is the rare mentor who has "done it all." Hit songwriter, Broadway Star, Motown staff writer, advisor to musicals like The Color Purple, author of multiple shows, vocal coach to the...
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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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