Songwriting is an art form that has captivated audiences for centuries, with the power to evoke emotions, tell stories, and leave a lasting impact. Whether you’re a seasoned musician or a budding lyricist, honing your songwriting skills can unlock a world of creative expression and open doors to new opportunities.
In today’s ever-evolving music landscape, there’s no shortage of resources available to help you elevate your craft. From online courses taught by industry professionals to comprehensive programs offered by renowned institutions, the options are vast and varied.
To help you navigate this wealth of choices, we’ve curated a list of the 10 best songwriting courses that cater to different skill levels, genres, and learning styles. These programs are designed to provide you with the tools, techniques, and insights necessary to transform your ideas into fully realized songs that resonate with listeners.
1. Lyrics Writing Course by Jacob Carter
This comprehensive online course is designed to help aspiring lyricists and songwriters elevate their skills in crafting impactful and meaningful lyrics. Led by experienced lyricist Jacob Carter, the program consists of six modules covering essential aspects of lyric writing.
The course curriculum includes:
- Finding inspiration and generating lyrical ideas
- Understanding lyrical structure, style, and song forms
- Mastering techniques like storytelling, rhyming, and specificity
- Crafting compelling verses, choruses, and bridges
- Analyzing hit songs to learn from successful songwriters
- Collaborating effectively with co-writers and musicians
Through HD video lessons, printable resources, and hands-on exercises, students gain practical insights and industry knowledge. They learn to organize their thoughts, choose the perfect words, and arrange rhythms and rhymes for maximum impact.
The course promises to help students improve their lyric writing abilities, whether they are new to songwriting or already experienced. It aims to instill confidence in sharing original songs with the world.
Priced at $997, the Lyrics Writing Course offers personalized feedback from Jacob Carter himself on students’ finished songs, providing valuable guidance to refine their craft.
You can check out his free guide on lyrics writing before joining his course.
2. The Lyric Writer’s Workroom – Songcraft
This comprehensive course by Songcraft covers all aspects of lyric writing through video lessons, exercises, and feedback. You’ll learn techniques for generating ideas, using imagery and metaphors, mastering rhyme and rhythm, developing song structure, and more. The course provides a supportive community to help take your lyric writing skills to the next level.
3. The Singer Songwriter – Berklee Online (Coursera)
Offered by the renowned Berklee College of Music through Coursera, this specialization takes you through the full process of writing, performing and recording your own original music. You’ll learn guitar basics, singing techniques, lyric writing skills, and how to use Ableton Live to produce professional recordings of your songs. It’s a well-rounded program for aspiring singer-songwriters.
4. Writing Song Lyrics: Create and Combine with Melody – City Lit
This 6-week online course from City Lit focuses on crafting original lyrics and setting them to melodies. You’ll explore generating ideas from personal experiences, understanding song structure and form, using rhythm and meter effectively, and collaborating with classmates. By the end, you’ll have a completed original song.
5. Songwriting: Writing the Lyrics – Berklee Online (Coursera)
Another excellent offering from Berklee through Coursera, this course dives deep into lyric writing using the concept of prosody – the interplay of lyrics, melody, rhythm and musical phrasing. Taught by hit songwriter Pat Pattison, you’ll learn tools for expressing your ideas through lyrics and marrying them seamlessly with your melodies.
6. Songwriting Simplified: Music Theory, Melody & Creativity – Udemy
This Udemy course by Steve Glazer provides a practical approach to songwriting, even if you don’t read music. You’ll learn music theory fundamentals, how to create chord progressions, techniques for crafting melodies and lyrics, and tools to enhance your creativity. By the end, you’ll have written a complete original song.
7. Lyric Writing: Tools and Strategies – Berklee Online
This course from Berklee Online focuses on generating better lyric ideas and expressing them compellingly in your songs. Taught by renowned lyricist Pat Pattison, you’ll learn techniques like object writing, metaphor usage, point of view, and more to craft impactful lyrics. The course covers rhyme schemes, rhythmic patterns, creating contrast, and marrying your lyrics seamlessly to melodies.
8. Commercial Songwriting Techniques – Berklee Online
Taught by hit songwriter Andrea Stolpe, this course aims to help you write commercially successful songs while maintaining your unique voice. You’ll learn skills like creating memorable melodies and lyrics that connect emotionally with listeners. The curriculum covers the fundamentals of hit songwriting across genres like using hooks, developing song structure, and emphasizing key lyrics and melodies.
9. The Art of Songwriting – The Open University (FutureLearn)
This free online course from FutureLearn explores the creative process behind songwriting. Through videos and articles, you’ll learn tools and strategies employed by professional songwriters. Topics include finding inspiration, developing ideas into full songs, understanding song structure and form, and effectively marrying lyrics to melodies. Guest interviews with renowned songwriters provide additional insights.
10. How to Write Lyrics – The Song Foundry
This online course focuses exclusively on lyric writing skills through immersive tasks and exercises. You’ll learn techniques for generating lyrical ideas from personal experiences, understanding song structure and rhyme schemes, using literary devices effectively, and finding your unique lyrical voice. The self-paced format allows you to practice at your own pace.
11. Songwriting: Lyric Writing – Elevate with ICMP
This interactive online course from ICMP covers all aspects of lyric writing through video lessons and creative activities. You’ll explore topics like using imagery and metaphors, mastering rhyme and rhythm, developing song structure, and understanding genre conventions. The course aims to help you consistently generate new lyrical ideas and overcome writer’s block.
