In popular music genres, songwriting ability is essential to artistic and financial success. If our singers sound great, but have nothing of their own to say, they won’t get very far as artists. Chances are good that most of your students aren’t getting songwriting help anywhere else. It’s important that we as voice teachers have at least a general understanding of the craft and know where to point our students if their writing needs help. Whether you’ve never written a song in your life, or are a seasoned songwriter, you’ll find lots of great ideas in these resources. This is just a sampling of what’s out there. Please share some of your favorite resources in the comments below.
Join your local Songwriters’ Association or local songwriting idea/support group. They often have great guest speakers, group dialogue to work through ideas and blocks, business tips, and performance opportunities. Here’s Nashville’s, as an example.
Teacher-Coach // Jess has a passion for working with underserved populations who sing and teach musical styles that are generally excluded from academia. After getting her master’s in classical vocal performance and pedagogy, she dedicated herself to studying how the voice works in contemporary, commercial, and popular music styles. She became an assistant faculty member of the CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute at Shenandoah University in 2017 and created Singing in Popular Musics (formerly Commercial Voice Resources) for voice teachers that same year. In addition to running a private studio in Columbus, Ohio, she teaches contemporary voice techniques at colleges, theaters, conferences, and workshops.
Artist // As a performer, Jess has worked in many different genres, including classical, jazz, Americana, blues, funk, fusion, pop, and rock. She appeared on NPR's Mountain Stage in 2013, was a quarterfinalist in the 2015 and 2017 American Traditions Competition, and won Best Cover Song in the 2015 and 2017 Ohio Music Awards. After years of wanderlust, she finally felt the pull to write and create her own style, settling into an artistic identity that lives somewhere between soul, R&B, and quirky indie pop. She looks forward to releasing her first album this year.
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