Hickory Arts offers Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Songwriting Lessons.

The Hickory Arts songwriting student, that’s contemporary writing and production, will study composition, arranging, scoring, and production techniques and approaches—and will learn to apply these skills and concepts by writing for and overseeing the production of a wide variety of instrumental, vocal, acoustic and electronic combinations ranging from small workshop groups to a studio orchestra in live performance situations and recording studio environments. The student will explore contemporary concepts and techniques of arranging and sound production in both the analog and digital domains and will gain valuable experience by being able to create, arrange, and produce projects using MIDI workstations and the Hickory Arts recording studio. Interpersonal and other situational skills will be developed as the student works with performers, “clients” (i.e., instructors and other students), and studio personnel in a variety of creative settings as a music writer, conductor, and/or producer.

The student will be presented with many opportunities to develop the ability to recognize, analyze, and evaluate musical concepts of jazz, pop, rock, and other contemporary music idioms and styles through the study of quality compositions and arrangements. Interacting with faculty who are also professional writers, arrangers, producers, and conductors, the student will develop techniques and skills that will enhance the creative adaptation of his/her musical projects. Applying the writing and production concepts and techniques learned, the student will complete a portfolio of at least four pieces that will demonstrate an understanding of traditional and contemporary writing and production styles.

The songwriter will develop the skills and knowledge to function as a professional writer, arranger, and producer under a wide variety of conditions and music industry environment