Each songwriter is a unique constellation of skillsets, instincts, and motivations. Your intersection with music over your lifetime and what draws you to making original music is your own, no doubt, and seems like an inarguable point.
But this viewpoint collides with how songwriting is generally taught, with one curriculum for all. Degrees like Berklee College of Music’s songwriting degree, which I have, and the Pop Music Program at the University of Southern California, which I helped develop, teach songwriting, recording, and releasing as a general topic of study. Even when the curriculum is customized, it’s customized by topic, such as a Melody course or a Lyrics course, not by songwriter. For that, we need private instruction so that when we are lost in our own particular brand of weeds, a mentor can see the aerial view and a path through.
Private songwriting lessons simply aren’t feasible for many people, and though I highly recommend them, they can’t be the only way in. A core value of the retreats, programs, and community I put my time behind is to enable as many musicians as possible to do what they do at the highest level, and as independently as possible. A program is only as valuable as how well it prepares you for your ultimate goals.
For the past year, I’ve been plotting a path for a more customized songwriting practice for all. I’d like to share that practice with you now. This practice is built by you, through an assessment I’ve created that takes into account 25 years of studying, listening, watching, and working with other songwriters and artists. Once you take the assessment, you’ll be able to download a 3-Day Jumpstart PDF with a few exercises that, based on your Songwriter Profile, have shown to be helpful for your kind of writer. It’s free, of course.
With the assessment you can read about your dominant and secondary Songwriter Profiles. There are seven profiles I’ve been able to identify, and each carry their strengths and weaknesses in different ways. Knowing your profile can be helpful in understanding what practices will make your songs stronger, as well as what kinds of collaborators to seek out. Use what resonates to determine where to lean in to your songwriting practice, and where to loosen up.
The assessment only requires about 10 minutes and a spirit of curiosity and exploration. I wish you deep satisfaction with the music you make,
