We’ll start with a brief history of melodic writing and then show how to incorporate melodic vocabulary into your songs, including what to look for to get out of melodic repetition. Bring in songs that are incomplete or need improvement, not songs that you are married to or have already recorded. You’ll be asked to start with just a verse and a chorus to work on, no complete songs until later in the week. We’ll talk about how to insert different chords and use different intervals of your existing songs to improve your melodies; how to write memorable melodies, and how to insert intros, bridges and endings. By the end of the week, we will try to reconstruct your work into a complete beautiful song. Usually during the week, students start to get it and add their own suggestions. The point is, I’ve never taught this class where students didn’t have a great time.