Hit Songwriting Class | Portland
Hit Songwriting Program
Songwriting Course – Write Better. Go Further.
In today’s music industry, talent alone won’t cut it. To thrive as a songwriter, you need to understand what makes a track commercially viable—from structure and lyric craft to emotional resonance and market appeal.
Songwriting Fundamentals
- →What makes a timeless melody?
- →What makes a hit a hit now?
- →A look at past famed hit makers and an up close look at today’s top music makers
- →How do you come up with a “killer line?”
- →What is alliteration, anaphora, and other “ear worm” secrets to lyric and melody writing?
- →What’s the difference between a song and a hit? A classic?
- →The beauty of a crossover
The Secret to Making a Great Demo
- →Don’t waste your money
- →The power of the remix
- →Selecting the perfect vocalist
- →Simplicity is bliss
Placement and Politics
- →What makes a songwriter “hot”?
- →What is the present state of A&R?
- →How do I get my songs cut and placed?
- →It’s more than just the music, an inside perspective on how to get your songs placed and heard
- →Dirty little secrets of song placement
The Forum is Yours
- →kd_icon icon_pack="font_awesome" fa_icon="fa-solid fa-arrow-right" size="mkd-icon-tiny" custom_size="" type="normal" border_radius="" shape_size="" icon_color="#ce1713" border_color="" border_width="" background_color="" hover_icon_color="" hover_border_color="" hover_background_color="" margin="" icon_animation="" icon_animation_delay="" link="" anchor_icon="" target="_self"] Share your songs with the class
- →Share your tips and tricks
- →What are your favorite hit songs? And why?
- →Write a song with class and instructor, maybe even a HIT!
This course is built for those ready to move beyond hobbyist writing and start creating songs that can compete in the real world—whether you're aiming for chart placements, sync licensing, or cuts with other artists.
Taught in a small-class setting by a working professional songwriter with credits and collaborations across the industry, you'll gain:
- →Real-world strategies for pitching, co-writing, and getting placements
- →Detailed critique sessions to refine your current songs for the market
- →Collaborative writing opportunities that mimic real industry sessions
- →Proven commercial songwriting frameworks used by top writers
Bring your own material, refine your sound, and learn how to position your songs for the right opportunities. You’ll leave this course not just a better writer, but a smarter, more strategic one—with the tools to pursue commercial success.
Sessions available in-person or LIVE online. Let’s turn your ideas into songs that get heard.
In Portland this course is deliberately small: a handful of students, one working producer, and plenty of time on the equipment. If getting to the studio is not practical, the same classes run live online, using our specialist music collaboration software, Muse. Discover qualities that distinguish us, here.
What our students say.
“The course throughly covers the fundamentals of synthesis and has helped me understand concepts that go beyond the everyday Youtube tutorial. The course has made Youtube tutorials and other concepts of sound design easily understood.”
Daniel Tran
Instructors
Questions we hear a lot.
Yes - critique sessions are built in specifically to refine material you bring with you.
To help you write songs that can genuinely compete commercially - for chart placements, sync licensing or cuts with other artists.
36 hours as a group course, or 20 hours 1-on-1.
Yes - see Hit Songwriting Private Instruction for 1-on-1 lessons.
Yes - sessions run in-person or Live Online.
$1499 + $100 Registration if booked 14 days before start or $1799 + $200 Registration
Ready to get started?
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