Develop a clear, recognizable songwriting voice through intensive writing, rewriting, and production. In this capstone course, you’ll create a polished three-song portfolio, define your artistic identity, and build a cohesive digital presence that prepares you for today’s music industry.
Key Learning Outcomes
- Define and articulate a clear artistic intention that guides songwriting, production, and presentation choices
- Write, revise, and produce original songs that reflect a consistent personal voice and creative identity
- Build a cohesive three-song portfolio that represents your sound, style, and artistic perspective
- Align songwriting, production, and visual presentation into a unified artistic proposal
Course Description
When you listen to a song and can immediately identify who wrote it—no matter who’s singing it—that’s the hallmark of a successful songwriter. The Songwriting Capstone will give that type of definition to your songwriting voice, and will help you solidify your identity, image, and style over 12 rigorous weeks of learning and self-discovery.
Throughout the course, you and your classmates will assemble a three-song portfolio that showcases your unique sound. You’ll define your sonic and visual identity by re-writing, refining, and producing the songs that will become your “calling card” to the rest of the world. After 12 weeks you’ll not only have an EP, ready to be released on the music-sharing platforms of your choice, but you’ll also have a cohesive digital presence as well.
The Songwriting Capstone addresses all types of songwriters, including performing songwriters, producer/songwriters, songwriters who are developing their own material, and more. No matter where you’re coming from as a songwriter, this course will prepare you for where you want to go, as you face any of the challenges and obstacles that are abundant in today’s music industry.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Apply effective rewriting techniques to strengthen melody, lyrics, structure, and emotional impact
- Make informed decisions about self-producing versus collaborating with producers and engineers
- Produce confident, expressive vocal performances using practical vocal production techniques
- Establish a functional digital presence, including website strategy, distribution, and audience awareness
Syllabus
Lesson 1: Artistic Intention
- Intention
- Prosody and Persona
- Image Board
- Artist Identity/Mission Statement
- Scheduling and Budgeting
Lesson 2: Re-Writing (Part 1)
- Start from Intention (Writing)
- Fit-Centered Feedback
- Deconstructing Melody, Harmony, Rhythm, and Lyrics
- Technical Tools for Rewriting
Lesson 3: Production (Part 1)
- Working with a Producer vs. Self-Producing
- Mood Before Mix
- Intention in Production
- Reference Tracks
Lesson 4: Vocal Performance
- Setting Your Mood
- A Great Vocal May Not Be “Perfect”
- The Role of Vocal Producer
- Tech Tips
Lesson 5: How Do You Fit In, or Stand Out?
- Current Trends
- Standing Out or Fitting In
- The Single
- Signature Sounds
Lesson 6: Re-Writing (Part 2)
- Contrast and Repetition
- Distracted Writing (Overcoming Creative Blocks)
- Intentional Mistakes
- Find the Problem, then Define the Problem
- Obfuscation, Intention, and Past Experience
Lesson 7: Production (Part 2)
- Happy Accidents
- Versioning
- Big Picture and Small Picture Prosody
- Distracted Listening
Lesson 8: Your Digital Presence (Website)
- Why Do I Need a Website?
- Turnkey Website Solutions
- What Should Your Site Do (and Not Do)?
- Digital Distribution
- Other Sharing Options
- Your Launch Date
Lesson 9: The Rest of the World
- Finding Your Professional Audience
- Reaching Out
- Using a PR Agent (or Not)
- Professional Etiquette
Lesson 10: Your Digital Presence (Social Media)
- Social Media Generalities
- Social Media Cheat Sheet
- Social Media Case Studies
- To Buy or Not to Buy: Organic vs. Inorganic Growth
Lesson 11: Handling Your Business
- Copyrights
- Performance Royalties and PROs
- What Do PROs Do and Should I Register?
- Other Royalties
- Sync Licenses
Lesson 12: What’s Next?
- Before the “Real World”
- Entering the “Real World”
- Enjoying the “Real World”
- Building an Empire of Friends
- Work Ethic (and Play Ethic)
- The Horizon is Always Ahead
Requirements
Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements
Prerequisite Courses, Knowledge, and/or Skills
As the capstone course for the Songwriting Degree, students must have completed no less than 60 credits of concentrate and specified elective courses. Must have completed all 15 credits of core music requirements. This includes successful completion of the following courses from the program:
- OSONG-220 - Lyric Writing: Tools and Strategies
- OSONG-316 - Songwriting: Harmony
- OSONG-221 - Lyric Writing: Writing From the Title
- OSONG-315 - Songwriting: Melody
- OSONG-222 - Lyric Writing: Writing Lyrics to Music
- OSONG-310 - Songwriting: Writing Hit Songs
- OSONG-240 - Commercial Songwriting Techniques
You will have to produce a three-song EP throughout the course, focusing on songwriting techniques and skills. Ideally, you should be familiar with the chosen DAW, since the main focus of this course is not how to deal with the technological side of the recording process, but the writing/re-writing process and the overall production of your project.
Textbook(s)
- No textbooks required
Software
- Full-featured Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), such as Pro Tools (Studio or Ultimate), Logic Pro, Cubase Pro, Ableton Live (Suite or Standard), Reaper, Reason, or FL Studio (Producer or Signature). Note that GarageBand is not acceptable.
- Students are required to create notation and submit it in PDF format. Options include:
- Notation software (recommended option), such as Sibelius, Dorico, MuseScore (free), etc.
- Handwritten notation captured by a digital camera or a scanner
Hardware
- Audio interface
- XLR microphone suitable for recording vocals, as well as XLR cable
- Any additional hardware required to complete your project, such as microphones, amplifiers, instruments, effects, etc.
- Note: Options for your project will be outlined in your course.
Student Deals
After enrolling, be sure to check out our Student Deals page for various offers on software, hardware, and more. Please contact support@online.berklee.edu with any questions.
General Course Requirements
Below are the minimum requirements to access the course environment and participate in Live Classes. Please make sure to also check the Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements section above, and ensure your computer meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements for all software needed for your course.
Mac Users
- macOS Monterey 12.0 or later
PC Users
All Users
- Latest version of Google Chrome
- Zoom meeting software
- Webcam
- Speakers or headphones
- External or internal microphone
- Broadband Internet connection
Instructors
Author
Ben Camp teaches songwriting at Berklee College of Music. Their songs have appeared in film and TV on networks like MTV, CBS, NBC, Fox, and more. They have written singles for Brice Fox, Tiesto, Victoria Justice, Sam Feldt, and others. Ben's mission as an educator is simple: Help you write the songs that only you can write.
Instructor
Questions?
Contact our Academic Advisors by phone at 1-866-BERKLEE (U.S.), 1-617-747-2146 (INT'L), or by email at advisors@online.berklee.edu.
