Discover what makes Taylor Swift one of the most influential songwriters of her generation. This four-week course examines the tools behind her memorable hooks, storytelling, and signature bridges, showing you how she writes emotionally powerful songs that resonate worldwide.
Key Learning Outcomes
- Deconstruct Taylor Swift’s most beloved songs and trace how they evolve across her eras
- Write lyrics that never go “out of style” by using vulnerability, narrative clarity, and rhetorical technique
- Shape melodies that support lyrical storytelling using melodic rhythm, contour, and phrasing
- Craft lyrical and melodic hooks that resonate with audiences around the world
Course Description
The Songwriting of Taylor Swift explores the evolution of this era-defining artist’s craft, examining the signature techniques that set her apart as a songwriter. This course takes an in-depth look at the blueprint of Swift’s songwriting, dissecting the magic of her earworm musical hooks, melodic rhythm, rhetorical devices, use of metaphor, notorious bridges, and her unparalleled ability to build empathy as a storyteller and composer. You’ll explore how Taylor masterfully combines music and lyrics to create a unique emotional experience that resonates with a global audience.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Appreciate the evolution of Taylor Swift’s songwriting
- Apply poetic and literary techniques to your lyric writing
- Create empathy in your lyrics by integrating vulnerability
- Utilize the four types of melodic contours in pop songwriting
Syllabus
Lesson 1: You Remember It All Too Well: The Writer’s Voice
- Taylor’s Three Pens: Quill Pen, Fountain Pen, Glitter Gel Pen
- Sentence Types
- The Content Triangle: Emotional, Literal, and Figurative Language
- Sense-Bound Writing
- Literary Devices
- Assignment 1: This Is Me Writing
Lesson 2: The Gold Threads of a Great Melody
- The Four Melodic Contours
- Developing Melodies
- Melody and Tone of Voice
- Common Chord Progressions
- Writing in a Minor Key
- Assignment 2: You Belong with Melody
Lesson 3: Rhythms and Hooks That Hit Like a Devil
- Building Song Sections
- Rhythmic Surprises
- Melismas
- Rhythmic Templates
- Time Signatures
- Crafting Hooks
- Assignment 3: This Hook Is Sparkling
Lesson 4: They Were the Best of Lines, the Worst of Lines: Themes and Bridges
- Bridges
- Lyrical Themes
- Story Arc
- Point of View
- Assignment 4: Long Story Short, I Wrote a Song
Requirements
Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements
Prerequisite Courses, Knowledge, and/or Skills
Students should have:
- A basic understanding of music theory. Students should understand the major and minor scales and chords and recognize simple rhythms.
- Experience with lyric writing in English.
- The ability to read lead sheets is recommended but not required.
- Beginner experience playing an instrument is recommended but not required.
- The ability to record a piano or guitar/vocal songwriting demo.
Textbook(s)
- The Craft of Songwriting: Music, Meaning, and Emotion by Scarlet Keys (Berklee Press, 2018)
Software
- Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) or multi-track audio editor/recorder. Free options, such as GarageBand (Mac), Cakewalk by BandLab (PC), or Audacity, are acceptable.
Hardware
- Students are required to record audio and monitor audio output. Options include:
- Input (one required):
- XLR microphone and audio interface (recommended option)
- USB microphone
- Built-in computer/mobile device microphone
- Output (one required):
- Headphones (required if multitracking and/or input monitoring)
- Studio monitors and audio interface
- Built-in or external speakers
- Input (one required):
- Note: Depending on your setup, you may also need an XLR cable, microphone stand, and pop filter.
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 & Instructor
Scarlet Keys is a professor at Berklee College of Music and a former staff songwriter for Warner Chappell.
Keys’s songs have appeared on film and TV and garnered her a gold record. She has collaborated with artists such as Chris Stapleton, Eric Roberson, Melissa Ferrick, and local artist Sam Robbins.
Some of her students have included: Lizzy McAlpine, Charlie Puth, Amy Allen, Ingrid Andress, and Betty Who.
Keys is the host of the What’s in a Song podcast and the author of The Craft of Songwriting: Music, Meaning, and Emotion, but most notably, she is a world-class parallel parker. Read Less
Instructor
Music has been a lifelong journey. Nick graduated from Berklee College of Music where he earned a double major in songwriting and music business with a minor in acoustics and electronics. Nick lives in Los Angeles, California where he writes and produces music full time. He works out of his home studio as well as several other LA studios. Nick has produced songs on Grammy Nominated albums, People's Choice Awards nominated films, won several international songwriting competitions, had Billboard charting songs, composed scores for films, as well as placed music in major motion pictures and national commercials.
Related Music Career Roles
Employers look for skills learned in this course, when hiring for the following music career roles:
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.
