Free songwriting course

  • Thread starter Thread starter kcearl
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kcearl

kcearl

I see deaf people
https://www.coursera.org/courses

Type songwriting in the search bar and it will take you to an enrollment page for a free 6 week course at Berkleemusic college

:)


Im signing up for the 0 week course in instrumental lyrics lol
 
I've signed up to do the songwriting course facilitated by Pat Pattison. Should be starting any moment now. The time difference from Berklee to my little forest home in Australia might cause a bit of delay. Looking forward to it. Just bought his book, so I should be prepared. I do think these courses are a bit of a teaser, hoping we'll sign up for the certificate versions.
 
I joined it too! I already own two of his books and the local library had the other on the reading list. It's a bit of reading and work, but so far, I'm really intrigued by his methods and although he's a bit of an oddball in the videos, it all makes a bit more sense to me now. I only hope I can make it all the way through. Life with wife, kids and work are making it very hard to get it all done, but I think it will be worth a few late nights.

Thank you to kcearl for posting this!
 
Hi flyingace,

I'm finding the course inspirational. I've just finished all the quizzes and the first assignment. I think the worst part of the course is the forum. It's such a mess.
 
I've done the videos and quizzes and just started on the assignment but didn't see the forum at all... I'll have to check it out and see how big a mess it is. That's too bad. I'm sure it's just a teaser for a full course but its encouraging me to get started writing again. Hope you do well and get something out of it too!
 
Oskari my forest dwelling compatriot,
is the course easily accessed from our part of the planet?
Does the ime zone have any significant impact on completing/taking part?
 
Oskari my forest dwelling compatriot,
is the course easily accessed from our part of the planet?
Does the ime zone have any significant impact on completing/taking part?

Hey Rayc, no trouble if you have a decent Internet connection. There are videos to watch, but the timezone issue is no problem. It's really, really good. Pat is a good teacher ... and I've had a few in my time (if I can remember where I buried them!).
 
Thanks Oskari,
I signed up since you mentioned it worked weel enough on the net downunder.
Results are in for the 2nd (my 1st) assignment.
Peer review generates the mark.
Interesting stuff BUT the longest commentary and lowest score appears to be from someone who took the analogy I used, (the provided song title Home Brew - I ran with building a moonshine still as the development from title and as an analogy for buidling a relationship), literally:
"...does he decide to kill ger because she kicked over his still accidentally? Contrasting the man's home brewing against his building resentment at his wife would have been a cool."
One can't help readers seeing more than the written word - it's often a good thing!

I also lost marks, it seems, for not using the song title in every section.

The other reviewers/markers were quite helpful in their commentary & I assume it's only luck of the draw that I ended up with an unusual marker.

I did also note, through the peer marking process, that quite a few folk doing the course have English as their second language which would make the task for them very difficult indeed. I have enough trouble in my one and only language.

Here's my 1st assignment. Don't copy it to use in the next course as it didn't score terribly well at all.

Home Brew
Box 1:
He worked the room and he worked the soil
he had the copper and he had the coil
Now he planned to make a life
Just himself and his soon to be wife

Box 2:
He laid the best of plans
Paid a deposit like a family man
Built the fire, assembled the still
It took all his focus & all of his will
He planned to make a life
Just himself and his soon to be wife

Box 3:
He shouldered every load
Made the appointments and picked the abode
But he forgot the water and mash
Too fixed on the goal, too eager, too rash
He planned to make a life
But making those plans didn't include the wife
He has the house and he has the bills
Then as she was leaving she kicked over his still.
He planned to make a life
Just himself: couldn't keep his soon to be wife.
 
I like that RayC. I think for the assignment you might have confused people by writing lyrics. This was the first 'boxes' assignment, right? The course does have its pitfalls when it comes to peer review, but I'm not so much into the hard results of grading, instead enjoying the new knowledge.

Keep up the good work!
 
Oskari,
I couldn't help it - as I was thinking through the ideas for the assignment the lyrics started to flow so I jotted them down & thought they might as well stay there.
The grading is a little odd but the assignments are pretty good. there'll be some problems with the new week as yanks put different stresses on different parts of words compared to out mob. Should be interesting anyway.
The content is quite enjoyable & better than mulling over owrk based problems any day.
 
rayC, the assignments are good, but I'm finding the quizzes are getting a bit tedious, especially when they 20+ questions and/or the answers seem vague. I know I'll be a better songwriter when I get through it all, though. In fact, it's getting me inspired to teach songwriting - just gotta find a small group. Cheers, Jack
 
I've bailed on this course a week from the end. I started a week late and wasn't permitted to do & be marked on the 1st "quiz" & assignment, I then missed a dealine for peer assessment & was penalized 20% for that assignment and finally missed another "quiz" dealine due to life getting in the way.
I started off behind the 8 ball and decided taht it makes sense to get out from behind as I couldn't catch up on anything.
the course is pretty good - there are some glitches and a few things I'd like to argue with the lecturer about but it was quite stimulating.
Wrong time for me to do it is all I can say.
I do recommend it though IF you start on time & get tasks in on time.
 
Thank you for this information. Is very useful, and i'm joining one of the other instead of this song writing. They had a lot of free courses..great share..
 
I see this thread revived from last year (wish I'd seen it then!) Taking this Berklee/coursera course now. Seems really basic, but hoping I'll get a little out of it. In week 3 now, and the first rhyme scheme videos are so basic I can't believe I sat thorugh 23 minute of them to l'earn' aabb, abab, etc schemes. :yawn:
 
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