Now enrolling: Interlochen Online courses and certificate programs for March 24.
Songwriting Techniques Certificate Program
From ideation to completion, discover effective tools for crafting emotionally impactful music.
Taught by an award-winning songwriter, the Songwriting Techniques certificate program consists of three four-week courses designed for adults and teens. The program can be completed at a pace that works for you and offers a unique opportunity to delve deeper into your craft while showcasing your achievements with a credential from Interlochen—an impressive addition to your résumé, college application, or LinkedIn profile.
For students under 18, the Songwriting Techniques certificate program is also an engaging way to earn high school credit. It’s ideal for students looking to challenge themselves beyond their school curriculum or to supplement their homeschool studies.
The following three courses make up the certificate program, and must be taken in sequential order:
Songwriting Basics 1
✔ Organize your lyrical ideas in written form and place them in songs in a way that connects with listeners
✔ Create compelling melodies with an understanding of the roles that song sections like chorus, verse, and bridge play in expressing your ideas
✔ Experiment with chord progressions to fit the intent of your songs
✔ Draw on your own personal taste to create songs
Songwriting Basics 2
✔ Use advanced rhyming techniques to create more expressive and meaningful lyrics
✔ Analyze and apply songwriting techniques from your favorite songs to inform and enhance your own unique style
✔ Use various chord-coloring techniques to add depth and interest to your harmonic progressions
✔ Craft verse melodies that set up impactful chorus entrances
Songwriting Basics 3
✔ Create vivid, emotionally engaging song lyrics using metaphor, simile, and varied rhyme schemes
✔ Identify and utilize major and minor modes (Ionian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Dorian, Phrygian) to create songs with specific emotional tones
✔ Map out the emotional arc within a song's lyrics to help you strengthen the journey you take your listeners on
✔ Apply professional formatting and refinement techniques to revise and finalize a song for greater impact
Learn and save: Students who enroll in the certificate program will receive a discounted rate by registering for all three online songwriting classes as a package.
Certificate programs comprise three four-week courses, providing deeper training in an artistic discipline or area of study. Students who enroll in a certificate program will receive a discounted rate by registering for all three courses as a package.
Each Interlochen Online course is designed to be inspiring and flexible with weekly learning units that combine video segments and guided instruction that you can complete on your own schedule. Combined with that learning is an optional weekly hour-long video class meeting, where you can learn from you instructor and interact with fellow students in real-time. You will also interact regularly with your instructor and peers through messaging inside the learning environment, including receiving personalized feedback on your work from your instructor.
Upon completion of the program, you will receive a physical certificate and a shareable digital certificate. Certificates for students under 18 are accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS); high school-age students will also receive an official transcript to share with their current school for consideration for high school credit.
Tuition
$ 897 $799
Ages
Teens: Grades 6-12
Adult Learners: Ages 18+
Questions? Speak with an Advisor.
Email: online@interlochen.org
Phone: 231.276.5990
You can also schedule an appointment.
Access Free Resources from Interlochen Online
Experience Interlochen Online with free guides that teach you practical skills in the arts.
