Looking for reviews on Berklee courses

[Paranoia]

Howdy y'all.

I'm really struggling to finish a lot of what I start with songwriting now, so I figured it was time to start looking into some proper courses. I hear Berklee thrown around a lot as a really good place for this sort of thing, so I've been trying to find reviews and the like on the Internet about them. Unfortunately, I think I'm getting towards the point where I need to find people who have been here and done that before, to see what they think about the courses themselves, rather than the institution.

Have any of you guys done, say, their Lyric Writing Tools and Strategies, or their Commercial Songwriting Techniques courses (linked below)? What kinds of things did your courses involve for you (whatever those courses may have been) that may not have been on their course overviews? Are there any courses you would recommend for someone who's looking to be able to write a solid song (the recommendation doesn't have to be Berklee if you have somewhere else)?

Apologies for all the questions, but I winced when I saw the price of the course, so I would like to be as sure as I can be... Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

https://online.berklee.edu/courses/lyric-writing-tools-and-strategies

https://online.berklee.edu/courses/commercial-songwriting-techniques

[The S]

You're not alone on this my friend, not sure a songwriting course is the right way to go though. If you're having trouble finish what you've started it hasn't really got anything to do with songwriting, that's creative insecurity combined with discipline messing with you or as you could call it, the art of just doing it. Happens to us all. You think it's the same and that they're connected but they really are not. Taking a course will always benefit you're writing, sure, but the main problem will still be there left untouched. I don't mean to offend you, so if I'm way off on this and pushing you in a completely wrong direction, I'm sorry, not intended. It's just that what you describe as your problem is very common and no matter how good you'll become the very same problem will still be there. That's all I'm saying.

Just write. Think of it as if every unwritten songs you have are standing in a long line waiting to come out. You can't pick the good ones out before the bad ones. The line is predetermined. In that way, for each song you write, shitty or not, the good ones keep coming closer and closer. That way it'll never be a bad thing writing a bad song. Get it? =) That's how I do it. Hope it helps.

Again, if I'm completely wrong on this, disregard this post. Hehe!

Cheers,

S

 

 

Edited November 10, 2015 by The S

[Paranoia]

Thanks for the input guys

I was not aware of their free course, tunesmithth, thanks for bringing that to my attention (it's been an awful long time since I checked this site's resources too). As for the money, they say suffering for your art brings out character, but that might be a bit too much, wouldn't you say? Rest assured I wouldn't consider such a thing if it meant I'd be living without food for a month- but all the same, it is indeed a sizeable sum of money, and not something to be spent without careful consideration, which is why I made this topic.

The S, your advice sounds very much like the advice I was given on a creative writing course I took a few years ago, actually. It's good advice and has served me well so far- more with the creative writing than the lyrics if I'm to be honest, lol. That said, what I'm after from such a course is definitely more the technique or formula side of things, such as the person in focus, who is the song aimed at (external or internal, etc), how the verses progress the song, and so forth. It's my hope that this will actually help with the kind of advice you gave, and allow me to 'just write' by utilising these techniques to get me through the blockers.

And yes HoboSage, what I'm after is definitely lyrics

 

Thanks again guys.

[MonoStone]

Never liked the idea of songwriting courses... And lyric writing courses sound worse... Express yourself,  draw on influences and learn for free from people you respect. Love it!

If you have problems finishing stuff ... That's down to losing focus or interest. I doubt a course will teach you how to enjoy what you do...