Katie Day Starts Music Production House After Berklee Online Course

After 10 years working in the music industry, Katie Day enrolled in Peter Bell’s course at Berklee Online where she learned how to write and produce music for advertising. One year later, she started her own music production house out of Los Angeles.

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3 Lessons Eric Church’s ‘Some of It’ Can Teach us about Songwriting

Eric Church’s Grammy-nominated song “Some of It” is a great example of the personal and universal “slice of life” that makes this type of writing tick.

Time Management Skills for Songwriters

Having a desire to create without the time or process to create it can feel like an enormous burden. The solution is fairly simple: Make a plan and stick to it.

Songwriting Imagery

How to Write a Song Using Imagery

Learn how to write a song using imagery in a series of video tutorials by Berklee Online songwriting instructor Andrea Stolpe.

What the Music Modernization Act Means for Music Streaming

Ask not what the Music Modernization Act can do for you. Ask what you can do to get ready for the Music Modernization Act.

A woman applying critical listening to four different songs.

4 Critical Listening Tips for Songwriters

One of the most important techniques you can learn as a songwriter is how to listen critically. We start by breaking the different components of a song into four large moving parts: Melody, Chords, Lyric, and Groove.

Songwriter Bonnie Hayes on Sexism, Drugs, and Rock ‘n’ Roll

Bonnie Hayes talks songwriting for Bonnie Raitt (and winning a Grammy for it), touring with Bob Seger, playing keys for Billy Idol, and being blown away by the Sex Pistols in 1978, and how all of that led to her coming to teach at Berklee College of Music and Berklee Online.

A piano with 100 dollar bills tucked into the keys.

Chord Progressions: 8 Tips for Richer Songwriting

Chords are a driving element of many songs. When we’ve got four elements of songwriting to manipulate (melody, chords, lyrics, and groove), it’s natural to credit them or blame them for a successful song. But how do we songwriters find and use great chords?

Chip Taylor on ‘Wild Thing,’ Hendrix, and ‘Angel of the Morning’

Chip Taylor wrote “Wild Thing.” He really doesn’t need to write any more songs. But that doesn’t mean he’s showing any signs of stopping. He’s got a new album out, and is eager to discuss everything leading up to this moment on this edition of the Music Is My Life podcast.

A musician sitting at a piano generating song ideas.

Song Ideas: 20 Tips for Songwriting Inspiration

Berklee Online course author Andrea Stolpe provides 20 tips to help you jumpstart your songwriting process and generate song ideas.