To Teach or Not To Teach
It’s my last week of teaching my college Pop Songwriting Workshop. I want to get back to writing more songs of my own. Songwriting is like cardio is for the physical body. We release endorphins when we’re in the process of creating. It puts us in a trance. Makes us so damn high. Yet I DO love TALKING about why a song works … or doesn’t. Perhaps a Master Class? 🤓
10 Songwriting Habits
Hello songwriting junkies!
I detest listicles and their clickbait intentions but I came upon a piece I wrote for Songwriting Magazine called “10 Key Phrases to Help You Tap into a Deeper Level of Songwriting Creativity.” The list is actually random brain farts 😜 that I didn’t think too much about. On the re-read however, I thought — ”Yeah!” So … I’m sharing with you. I hope you find something here that ups your game. 🎸🎶
Thank G*d For Music
Today, whether you’re deliriously happy or morbidly miserable, Thank God for Music. Whether you’re afraid to go to yoga or your place of worship Thank God for Music. Whether you found your true love or lost the only one you ever had, whether you’re welcoming your child into the world or burying a friend, whether you’re still waiting to hear your first single on the radio or celebrating your fifth #1 Thank God for Music. Turn It Up!
The Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project
I’ve heard it said, “those who can, do; those who can't, teach.” I reject that notion. I’m enjoying “doing” (writing songs) more than ever. I may not be making as much money as I did when physical albums were flying off the shelves but is that how we measure success?
Trading Places
What if, just for a few songs, Topliners took the bottom and the Producers got on top—so we could better appreciate each others’ function?
Songwriter Mom
Being a parent and a songwriter are not mutually exclusive. But for me, the balance always tips a certain way.
(Not So) Gently Down the Stream
Anyone making a contribution to the music the world enjoys deserves to be paid for it. Because music has value. Or has that idea been forgotten in the fog of digital?
