As songwriting educators with years of experience at both high school and collegiate levels, we've seen common patterns in what can make—or break—a song. Whether you're a seasoned songwriter or guiding students through their first compositions, these five elements can elevate a song...

I remember reading the line, your fear is boring, in an Elizabeth Gilbert book entitled Big Magic. (If you haven't read it and are interested in digging into creative living, I highly recommend it.) 

It struck me pretty hard - Gilbert was talking about all of her fears and...

Every year around August, I (Sarah) start getting workshop requests. 

Can you come and speak to our educators about creativity? Can you share strategies for improvisation? 

I LOVE talking about creativity and how to incorporate creative action, like songwriting, into any...

Ok. I'll admit it. I'm a chronic workaholic. For the longest time - and honestly it still happens - I equated my worth with how busy I am. 

Anyone else? 

It's something I have to consciously work at and something I have needed to form new habits to even start finding time to rest. But...

F.O.S.O. (or, Fear of Sharing Out)

A few weeks ago, I was running a workshop on creativity for a group of music educators in Pennsylvania. We had multiple exercises where participants would create and share with each other. Many teachers reflected on how they felt uncomfortable sharing creative...

This month we're talking all about melody - how to create them, how to craft them, how to connect them to lyrics - and how melody can affect us in more ways than we might know.

To that end, I've been thinking a lot about how melody plays a role in my memories. Like how I remember, vividly,...

I can still remember the first time I recorded music on a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). I was in college and had recently purchased a Mac. I had written a handful of children's songs and wanted to make a CD for the parents of a program I ran. 

I could record songs on my computer...

Co-writing can be a really fun and engaging way to expand skills, get to know more people and expand your collaborative network, but it can also be really hard. Especially when you get into a situation when you feel you're not being heard. I find this happens a lot more frequently when...

Self-doubt and Creativity

This past week, I was reading The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin. Gifted to me by a dear colleague, this book has been one that I've come back to time and time again when I feel creatively stuck or in need of inspiration. 

As I was preparing to...

I just did an interview where I was asked why so many people dislike holiday music. (You can check the whole thing out here). In preparation for the chat, I sat down and thought about this and found some interesting anecdotes that I'd like to share.

There are a few things I came up with - some...

For whatever reason, lyrics seem to be both the easiest way into songwriting as well as the most challenging. Easy because they access language that we already have - no need for harmonic or melodic vocabulary - but hard because there just isn't a lot of real estate to say everything you...

I can't read those three words without thinking of I want it that way by the Backstreet Boys. At songwriting for M.E. this month, we've been focusing our energies on this simple phrase: "Tell. Me. Why." 

In a world full of "whats," "hows," and "whens," it can be easy to forget our...