By Rebecca Vikari
For music and non-music majors, songwriting is a skill that can help students express themselves as well as show the techniques they have been working on mastering all semester.
That”s what will happen Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006, at 7:30 in the Madsen Recital Hall in the Songwriter”s Showcase featuring all original music created by BYU songwriting students as a result of a beginning level songwriting class.
Ron Simpson, the instructor of the class said the class includes experienced songwriters and in some cases, those who are showing the first things they”ve written.
“There is typically a lot of energy in the room,” Simpson said. “There”s a lot of adrenaline because they are really wanting to prove themselves and show what they can do.”
Anyone can take this class. Some are music majors and some have already had a lot of experience with songwriting, but a lot are absolute rookies, Simpson said.
“It”s a whole semester of learning about the craft of songwriting,” Simpson said. “I don”t reach in and tell them what style to write in. They follow their own instincts stylistically, but are employing some techniques and principles of the craft.”
Lane Olson, a senior from Spanish Fork studying sociology, has had some experience with songwriting from being in various bands during high school, but said the class has been a good experience and opportunity for him to set aside time to do writing.
“The concert will be cool,” Olson said. “It gives aspiring song writers an opportunity to practice their skills and learn a lot about song form and about how the songwriters of our day have had success.”
In the class, the students write songs based on what they have learned, perform them for each other and then finish out the semester with the showcase, giving them the opportunity to perform for family and friends.
“You select a style in the beginning of the semester of the kind of song you want to write,” Olson said. “It”s usually a popular song for today.”
