Songwriting Workshop: Swedish Pop Music Spring 2018 Credits: 3 Location: Stockholm Major Discipline: Music Faculty Member: Maria Carlsson Faculty Maria Carlsson, MA in Music, Royal College of Music, Stockholm, 2017. 2 year Artist/Vocalist education at the Swedish folkhögskola Kulturama. Professional Swedish singer, performing regularly in solo, band, and vocal group concerts. Vocal teacher and teacher in music and ensemble with 10+ years experience. Email: mariacarlsson@gmail.com. Description of course In this music course you will be trained in songwriting in a masterclass setting. The course is taught at your individual level and may include voice training, accompaniment, and/or music production. You will learn different writing techniques and lyrics analysis. As part of the course, we will meet with experienced Swedish songwriters who will share their inspirations and methods for songwriting as you develop your own creative ideas. Field studies include visits to the contemporary Stockholm music scene. Note: Experience in music making or music performance is highly recommended. As a student in this course, you will come into close contact with the renowned Royal College of Music, Stockholm (KMH), the oldest institution for higher education in music in Sweden. All genres are represented at KMH, where an abundance of new and exciting music is created on a daily basis. You will thus have the unique opportunity to study side by side with the next generation of professional musicians of Sweden, as well as gain access to free concerts that run at KMH every day. Furthermore, through this course, you will experience various music festivals and become intimately familiar with the burgeoning music scene in and around Stockholm. Learning objectives of the course Broaden writing techniques and general creativity Develop music writing skills Learn how to analyze and interpret lyrics Gain experience with digital tools for songwriting Develop voice technique and personal expressions Master the basics in music knowledge, such as music theory, instruments and notation Gain experience performing in front of a group Required texts While this is primarily a hands on course in technical learning, we will also consult some relevant literature (to be announced). DIS will supply all reading materials. 1
Field studies During field studies, you will get to know some of greatest music scenes of Stockholm city. The purpose of the field studies in this course is to receive inspiration from an abundance of new exciting Swedish music, as well as to meet and network with Swedish music students and professionals. Detailed visits to be announced, as concert programs become available closer to the dates. Guest Musicians During two class sessions, experienced Swedish songwriters will be visiting our classroom to share technique and expertise. Detailed visits to be announced. Expectations of the students I expect you to be well prepared when you come to class, meaning that you should have finished your assignments on time. Before each class session, you will have a detailed assignment to write or to prepare. You are expected to dedicate at least three hours of work per week outside of class time. I expect you to be brave sharing your thoughts and your music with the group and willing to work with your material and try new ideas in front of the group. I likewise expect you to show respect for other students by being focused and involved in their processes as we are working in master classes. You are also expected to protect the integrity of the group by keeping the confidentiality of what is said and done by students in the classroom. It is also of great importance to keep a positive and supportive attitude towards the work of the others in the class. Evaluation Engaged participation will be rewarded in this class, both regarding your own work and while taking part in the processes of others. As a student in this course, you will not be compared to the other students in the group, but rather evaluated based on your individual level and development curve. Your will, engagement and efforts will be highly rewarded in this class. Grading In order to receive a passing grade, you must complete all the assignments. Participation and engagement 40% Short Assignments 40% Final Project 20% Disability and resource statement Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Academic Support (acadsupp@dis.dk) to coordinate this. In order to receive accommodations, students should inform the instructor of approved DIS accommodations within the first two weeks of classes. 2
Policies Attendance You are expected to attend all DIS classes when scheduled, and punctuality is a required part of attendance in this course. If you miss multiple classes, the Director of Academic Support and the Director of Student Affairs will be notified and they will follow up with you to make sure that all is well. Absences will jeopardize your grade and your standing at DIS. Allowances will be made in cases of illness, but, in the case of multiple absences, you will need to provide a doctor s note. Academic Honesty: Plagiarism and Violating the Rules of an Assignment DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or thought taken from others. Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of F and can result in dismissal. The students home universities will be notified. DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in electronic form for submission to plagiarism detection software. See the Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your instructor if you have questions. DIS Contact Anna Söderquist, Assistant Program Director, European Humanities Department, anna.soederquist@dis.dk. 3
Detailed Course Schedule Assignments for session 1: 1) Prepare to present a song that you have written or that means a lot to you in front of the group. You can choose to play it live or play a recorded version. 2) Prepare to share your thoughts about what you want to get out of this course and what you want to develop with your singing and songwriting. Session 1 Introduction: Present yourself and your music goals. Get started how to write songs! During our first session, we will also start doing songwriting exercises together in the group. Assignment for session 2: Write the melody and lyrics to a simple chord progression. Session 2 Creative Environment 1: How to find words and music in our everyday life. Present your song and get feedback. Collaborative songwriting: In this class, you will work together with a classmate finding inspiration in new environments in the city of Stockholm. Assignment for session 3: Learn a given song. Session 3 Singing Workshop 1: Interpretation focus. We will work with warm up, basic meditation and vocal improvisation. You will perform a song that has been given to you in front of the group where you will get personal coaching to improve your singing and your performance. In this class, we will work with the given song with a lyric interpretation focus. Assignment for session 4: Write eight bars of music from a given theme. Session 4 Creative Environment 2: What inspires us and how do we get the work done? Present your eight bars of music and get feedback. Theoretical background to creativity, inspiration and motivation. What is inspiration and creativity and what keeps us from writing? Assignments for session 5: 1) Write a one page reflection about your songwriting progression. 2) Bring a song that has a music production you like, analyze what happens in the song and why you think you like it. 4
Session 5 Digital Tools We will discuss music production and listen to the music you brought. You will get to explore how to use digital tools in songwriting. We will have a sound lab where you will learn and develop skills in different music programs. Assignment for session 6: Write and record 16 bars of digital music. Session 6 Musical Knowledge: Instruments, music theory and playing together. Present your written music and get feedback. You will learn more about the basics of music theory and music notation. You will get to try different instruments and improvise music together. Assignment for session 7: Write 16 bars of rap lyrics and melody. Choose or make a background that goes with it. Session 7 Creative Environment 3: Get inspired by other art forms. We will explore the cultural life of Stockholm and discover how other art forms can be a great source of inspiration for songwriters. Assignment for session 8: Learn a given song. Session 8 Singing Workshop 2: Technique focus. In this class, you will get to try different vocal techniques and sounds. You will also learn how to take care of your voice and how to exercise it and develop your singing skills. You will perform a song that has been given to you in front of the group where you will get personal coaching to improve your singing and performance. In class, we will work with the given song with a vocal technique focus. Assignment for session 9: Bring two song lyrics that have affected you strongly in some way. Analyze the two songs and compare them to each other. Reflect on why the lyrics have affected you. Session 9 Swedish Songwriting Traditions: How to write lyrics, from Swedish to English. Lyrics analysis; present the lyrics you chose and your reflections about it. In this class, you will learn about the Swedish songwriting tradition: Folk music, visa and pop. We will learn Swedish songs and analyze lyrics. We will talk about the differences between the English and Swedish languages. Assignment for session 10: You will be given a Swedish song for which you will write English lyrics. 5
Session 10 Inspirational Ensemble: Play together, creating sound and music. Present your Swedish song with your English lyrics. You will get the opportunity to explore instruments, your voice, and different sounds improvising over different themes together with the group. Assignment for session 11: Prepare songs that you want to perform. Decide what kind of setting you would like for your music. Session 11 Preparing Live Performance 1 Bring the songs you want to perform and we will work with your singing, interpretation, accompaniment, setting, and personal expression. We will also talk about how to present your music on stage. Assignment for session 12: Prepare a presentation of your music. Session 12 Preparing Live Performance 2 We will keep on working with your songs. We will also look into your presentation and staging. We will evaluate the semester. Concert The semester will end with a concert where you get to perform some of the songs that you have worked with during the semester. Details forthcoming. Note: Course schedule is subject to change if necessary with as much notice as possible. 6