Songwriting and the Art of Adaptation

Cost: $500

Thursdays

Starts September 15

Maximum students:  10

Ten-Week Online Course

Time

Atlantic Time: 7:30pm – 10:30pm

Eastern Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm

Central Time: 5:30pm – 8:30pm

Mountain Daylight Time: 4:30pm – 7:30pm

Mountain Standard Time/Pacific Time: 3:30pm – 6:30pm

Alaska Time: 2:30pm – 5:30pm

Hawaii Time: 12:30pm – 3:30pm

Summary

Are you a musical theatre songwriter looking to stretch your creative muscles through the art of adaptation?

Musicals have a long tradition of drawing from pre-existing source material, from pioneers of the form like Show Boat and Oklahoma! to contemporary works as wide-ranging as Hamilton, Spring Awakening, and Fun Home.

In this course, students will explore various methods of approaching adaptation from the songwriter’s point-of-view. Each week, students will tackle specific songwriting prompts, drawn from various types of source material. The semester will culminate in writing two spec songs for an adaptation project of each student’s hoosing.

Students will discover how adaptation can help them to find their own voice as an artist, when they bring their unique perspective to extant stories and transform these stories for the musical stage!

Requirements for this Class

• Students should be able to write music and lyrics, and can apply as either a single composer/lyricist or as a composer and lyricist team.

• Students should be comfortable sharing work each week over Zoom, whether through recordings or performing their own work live.

• Music notation skills not required.

Expectations for this Class

Students are expected to complete weekly songwriting assignments, share their work, and participate in guided feedback discussions.

After Completion of Class

 Students will leave this course with several strategies for tackling the adaptation process. They will also have taken the first steps toward an adaptation project of their own choosing.