Song Writing Camp - Intermediate 10 week program

Last Minute Productions / Studio Redfern Community Centre present this 10-week course faciliated by Josh Keys.

• Week 1 – Major and Minor Harmony Introduce the fundamentals of major and minor keys through listening, analysis and performance. Students examine how melody, harmony and chord progressions establish tonality in contemporary songs.

• Week 2 – Song Analysis Develop analytical listening skills by examining a range of popular songs. Students identify key centres, chord progressions, melodic devices and song structure, considering how these elements contribute to the overall impact of a song.

• Week 3 – Introduction to Modes Introduce the concept of modes and how they differ from traditional major and minor tonality. Students explore the characteristic sound of the most commonly used modes through listening and practical exercises.

• Week 4 – Modal Harmony Examine how chords are derived from modes and how modal harmony differs from functional harmony. Students analyse songs that use modal progressions and begin writing their own.

• Week 5 – Modal Interchange Explore borrowing chords from parallel modes to add harmonic colour and emotional contrast. Students analyse examples from contemporary music and apply modal interchange to existing progressions.

• Week 6 – Modal Changes in Songwriting Investigate how songwriters move between modes to create contrast between sections. Students experiment with writing songs that incorporate modal shifts while maintaining a strong sense of cohesion.

• Week 7 – Original Songwriting Apply the harmonic concepts explored throughout the course by writing original musical ideas. Students focus on developing melody, harmony, lyrics and song structure in preparation for a collaborative songwriting project.

• Week 8 – Collaborative Songwriting I As a class, students begin writing one or two original songs, applying the harmonic and melodic concepts explored throughout the course. The focus is on generating ideas, establishing song structure, and developing lyrics and melodies collaboratively.

• Week 9 – Collaborative Songwriting II Continue refining the class compositions through discussion, experimentation and revision. Students explore arrangement, harmony, instrumentation and production ideas while developing a cohesive final version of each song.

• Week 10 – Finalising and Performing Complete and rehearse the class songs before presenting them in an informal performance or recording. Reflect on the songwriting process, discussing how theoretical concepts informed creative decisions throughout the course.