Bradley University Is Starting First Open Songwriting Course

Bradley University in Peoria has launched an online course in songwriting, called The Craft of Songwriting. The self-paced virtual course is open to the public, meaning you don’t have to be a Bradley University student to enroll and earn yourself the certificate. So, if you want to learn the ropes of the songwriting process, then this might be something for you.

Why Is This Course Open to the Public?

According to Carl Anderson, one of the teachers of the course and Director of Music Industry programs at Bradley, the idea is a bit of an outreach experiment. High School students and other people can get a feel of what it’s like to take a university course. It also enables aspiring songwriters to hone their craft without going through a lengthy college education. Many people in pop culture don’t aspire to complete a traditional four-year college education, and this course reaches them where they are.

More About the Course Structure

Bradley is not new to the music industry. It has been teaching music composition, theory, recording, and business for decades. This new songwriting course is an eight-hour certificate divided into four modules taught by four Bradley University professionals. The first module covers music theory and will dive into essential topics, such as chord progressions, scales, and rhythm. The second module explores the songwriting process. This module is led by singer-songwriter Barry Cloyd, who has real-life experience with 5 released albums to his name. The third module is all about recording and editing, teaching students how to cut a polished track and enrich their music with additional instruments and sfx (sound effects). The fourth and final module, led by Carl Anderson, covers the business aspect of songwriting and how to take a song to market.

No Pressure

Students who successfully complete the program will earn an official Bradley University certificate. But the pressure is minimal as the course is completely self-paced. Students can skip the parts they may already know and invest more time in learning new information and ideas. The course isn’t limited by the academic calendar, meaning anyone can sign up at any time of the year. There are no deadlines to meet and no grading to stress about. This makes the course very democratic and even accessible to K-12 students. The only true prerequisites are a passion for songwriting and a love of music.

How will this course be graded then? Carl Anderson says, “We’re building the toolbox, then it’s up to the creator…and of course exactly how do you measure success? Success is up to the individual and the individual artist.”

After two years of pandemic, learning online has become part of our daily lives. People now automatically turn to their phones and computers to learn something new. Bradley is also at the top of their game when it comes to virtual learning. Offering this course online to the public at large was a sound and logic decision.