High School is your own "Songland": the Art of Composing

Where would the world be without music? Music is an expression of feelings and emotions that people can share with each other. Music invokes memories and makes people feel. A great power ballad can bring tears to your eyes. It makes you want to dance. It can give you goosebumps. Music can make you cheer for your favorite team. It is a great way for people that may not be able to find the words to share their thoughts with other people and the world. Learning how to put your thoughts into words can be tricky and learning how to put your emotions into melodies can be even harder.

Composing music starts with playing music. Whether you are picking up a guitar, a piano, or another instrument that speaks to you - learning how to play and how to read music is key to a successful composition career. If you can put yourself into a music school where you can learn multiple instruments while improving your music theory, you are going to have the best opportunity to have the diversity as a songwriter.

On NBC, "Songland" gives undiscovered songwriters the opportunity to network and meet great musicians to show them their songs. During each episode, they take four songwriters and put them in front of a great artist (H.E.R., Lady Antebellum, Macklemore, and Charlie Puth to name a few) that chooses their three favorite original songs. These songs are then tweaked and reproduced in the "artist's style." The winning songwriter has their song recorded by the artist. Songs like "Be Nice" from the Black Eyed Peas emerged from this television series.

Composers and Musicians like Danny Elfman have become the household names (and the Beethoven's) of modern music. Music composition and a strong career in music is started by learning and diversifying music knowledge in a strong program as a teenager.

Encore High School's instrumental music conservatory is paramount to giving students access to the tools they need to emerge as a great musician and songwriter. With programs available in piano, guitar, band, and professional musician development that includes performance tours, this conservatory program helps give students that may have ability with one instrument, expand their knowledge to four or more instruments by graduation. Couple that knowledge with the songwriting components and music theory classes given in the conservatory and the students are given essential tools for life in a music career.

Last year, Encore held it's first live performance showcase for young songwriters. It was a big success. In the coming school year (Covid permitting) Encore plans on offering quarterly songwriter showcases set up like coffee house productions so people can see more original artists. Students going through the Professional Musician's programs are also given the career tools to be able to market and sell their music and their ideas as a brand and product.

Without musicians, music stops. Emotions that are tied to that powerful melody stop. Songwriters and composers are the poets of our time. To build their own "Songland" is a powerful way to imprint our history.

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Petey the Pirate is the author of this blog for Encore Education Corporation. Part of Encore Education Corporation is Encore High School, a free public performing arts regional high school in Southern California grades 7 - 12. Encore's High School music conservatory program is currently taking applications for the fall 2020 enrollment. www.encorehighschool.com. Where arts and academics grow together. WASC Accredtied. Copyright 2020.