Songwriting Basics 3

Expand your songwriting with more advanced techniques that help you create songs that resonate emotionally with your listeners.

This four-week course teaches a number of specific tools to enhance your lyrics and music—and how they work together to greater effect. You'll explore how to craft compelling lyrics by using metaphors, similes, and rhyme schemes, while ensuring that your lyrics carry emotional depth. You'll learn how to map emotional arcs within your lyrics to connect on a deeper level with your audience.

The course explores various musical modes and how they can color your songs, elevating both melody and harmony to match the emotions you're expressing in your lyrics. You'll learn to recognize and use the characteristic notes and chords of major and minor modes, such as Ionian, Mixolydian, and Aeolian, among others, to enhance your songwriting.

You'll work on refining one of your original songs, applying professional formatting techniques and cleaning up the lyrics to ensure clarity and consistency. You'll explore how small tweaks—like adjusting line lengths, rhyme consistency, and word choices—can have a huge impact on the overall feel of your song.

By the end of the course, you'll not only have a completed song, but you'll also have a deeper understanding of the songwriting process from start to finish, equipping you with the tools to craft emotionally impactful music.

What you will learn:

✔ Create vivid, emotionally engaging song lyrics using metaphor, simile, and varied rhyme schemes
✔ Identify and utilize major and minor modes (Ionian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Dorian, Phrygian) to create songs with specific emotional tones
✔ Map out the emotional arc within a song's lyrics to help you strengthen the journey you take your listeners on
✔ Apply professional formatting and refinement techniques to revise and finalize a song for greater impact

Prerequisite Skills:

Completion of Songwriting Basics 1 and Songwriting Basics 2, or equivalent knowledge and/or experience.

Next Session

July 14 - Aug. 10, 2025

Teen and adult sections

VIEW ALL DATES

Tuition

$299

Ages

Teens: Grades 6-12

Adult Learners: 18+

Receive expert guidance
Learn from world-class faculty who provide personalized feedback

Learn at your own pace
Explore engaging video content and meaningful instruction

Meet your instructor and classmates
Join an optional weekly class to connect with other artists in real-time

Practice and create
Strengthen your craft over four weeks as you develop creative projects

Find collaborators
Collaborate on your projects—or just for fun—in direct messages and group chats

Computer or mobile device with Internet and camera. Internet speed must be at least 1.5Mbps download and 800Kbps upload. For students using a mobile device, download the Canvas mobile app and select “Interlochen Online” as your school.
Word processing program, such as Google Docs or Microsoft Word, that can create PDF files.

No, course sections are designed for their respective age groups, either for adults (students 18 and older) or young people (students under 18).

Yes, there are eight sessions of courses per year. View the academic calendar for more session dates.

Interlochen Online certificate This is one of three courses needed to complete the Songwriting Techniques certificate program.

Our online arts certificate programs are perfect for...

✔ Adults looking to boost their creative résumé and LinkedIn profile

✔ Teens who want to earn high school credit for their passion

Upon completion of the program, you will receive a physical certificate and a shareable digital certificate. Certificates for students under 18 are accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS); high school-age students will also receive an official transcript to share with their current school for consideration for high school credit.

Shane Adams

Instructor of Singer-Songwriter

Students who enrolled in songwriting courses rated their experience 4.7 out of 5.

“The course was done so well. The online classroom was easy to use, the teacher was incredible, and I learned a ton. I really did not think that online class could be this engaging.”

— Middle school student,
Songwriting Basics 1

“I loved the course and I would love to attend another one! Shane was an amazing teacher and I would suggest this course or any other course from Interlochen Online.”

— Middle school student,
Songwriting Basics 1

“One thing that makes Interlochen special...is it's always a notch above—or deeper—than most of the options where to learn. As a student, you know you'll walk out with something next-level. Because everything about Interlochen goes deeper into subjects/ideas/learning than average outlets. Thank you, Shane!"

— Adult learner,
Songwriting Basics 2

"Shane is an amazing instructor! He created a wonderful program, and his enthusiasm for the subject matter has made learning from him truly a joy!”

— Adult learner,
Songwriting Basics 1

“I really enjoyed the course thoroughly. I met very talented people in the course in the Zoom lessons. I think that Mr. Shane Adams is extremely knowledgeable and helpful.”

— Middle school student,
Songwriting Basics 1

“I loved how the course was structured but also gave you so much room to be creative and explore.”

— High school student,
Songwriting Basics 1

“I had lots of fun learning and making my own lyrics. I also learned that songwriting is more complex than you would think.”

— High school student,
Songwriting Basics 1

“I loved the fun and creative energy that the teacher brought to the videos and Zoom meetings. I also loved that he made it a safe and encouraging environment for me to feel comfortable sharing my songs.”

— Middle school student,
Songwriting Basics 1

“Wow, this was a great course! The course exceeded my expectations and I learned a lot! It is very important to note that Shane Adams was an outstanding teacher and mentor! He is a patient, encouraging, and talented instructor that shared his insights on songwriting and helped me grow.”

— Adult learner,
Songwriting Basics 1

“I am so looking forward to Songwriting Basics 2 and 3!”

— Adult learner,
Songwriting Basics 1

"This class was awesome! I learned so much. Truly, I have always had ideas but no tools to actually create a working song. Shane has clearly given a lot of thought to how to help new people understand the working structure of a song, create it, revise it, and bring it to life.”

— Adult learner,
Songwriting Basics 1

“The course moves fast and actually sets a high standard that matches Interlochen. Interlochen is the place for artists. This course was not fluff. It was practical tools, delivered in a genuinely helpful and strategic way. I would definitely sign up for Shane's other courses."

— Adult learner,
Songwriting Basics 1

“The course material was really great. Shane included topics that were pretty unique in the online songwriting instruction universe. The process will be super helpful to me.”

— Adult learner,
Songwriting Basics 1

“Shane's ability to connect in the videos is amazing! I've got six old songwriting books that proved to be too boring to read, and he made the course totally doable, interesting, and motivating!”

— Adult learner,
Songwriting Basics 1

“I liked that the instructor was always friendly, positive and very inspiring. He was very passionate about songwriting, his methods, and helping students to achieve success at their personal ability levels.”

— Adult learner,
Songwriting Basics 1

“I loved this course! I had no real songwriting experience prior to the course. I was excited to take it, but I didn't realize how much time and effort I would want to put into it—but I got so much out of it. I also got to experience writing my own songs and getting them stuck in my head, which was great. I signed up for Shane's next course because I don't want this to end.”

— High school student,
Songwriting Basics 1