Take a sad song and make it better: Considerations for songwriting instruction

<p dir="ltr">Andrew Pennay, Take a sad song and make it better: Considerations for songwriting instruction</p><p dir="ltr">Winner - Queensland University of Technology VYT local programme (2023)</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Transcript:</b></p><p dir="ltr">120,000 songs are currently baked and delivered to streaming platforms every day (Stassen, 2023). Yet, songwriting processes remain vague and mysterious for many music teachers, let alone students like Maddi. A melody might just pop into her head, but the whole song? Well, that can be much, MUCH harder to crack.</p><p dir="ltr">Maddi sets off with her music teacher, and together they find the right ingredients to help her say it like she means it. It's complex, though: Beyond these song ingredients, what exactly do songwriters do to "improve" their storytelling? Honestly, it’s all a bit hit-and-miss, and most music teachers are not experienced songwriters.</p><p dir="ltr">As a teacher, that’s why I’m heading into the songwriting kitchen to share my songs-in-progress for pro songwriters to taste test. I’ll leave the kitchen with a better framework for songwriting improvement. It’s an important step towards helping students (like Maddi) tell these hundreds and thousands of stories with greater impact.</p>