An Introduction to Songwriting

It’s commonly thought that we each have unique soundtracks to our lives. Here’s a chance to take authority and authorship of your own musical, biographical soundtrack. We will discuss a wide variety of songwriting tools and genres including song form, chord progressions, and melodic ideas ranging in styles. These ideas can be applied to any instrument or voice. We will also practice a bit of basic recording using free programs in order to record demos. Please bring any portable primary instrument with you to class.

Ken Ross is a Lexington native and graduate of Lexington High School and Northwestern University, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree. While at Northwestern, he was awarded a Civic & Arts Scholarship in Jazz by the Union League Club of Chicago. Ken has been teaching and performing professionally on piano and guitar for over a decade. His teaching experience includes work with Bucktown School of Music, LB Music School, and Litchfield Performing Arts. As a professional musician, he has performed, recorded, and produced for Grammy Award–winning artists, and performs regularly in the Boston area and beyond. Ken teaches students ages 5 through adults and has experience in classical, jazz, R&B, and pop styles. His approach emphasizes strong fundamentals and proper technique while helping students develop the skills needed to play the music they love. Having grown up in Lexington and benefitted from its outstanding arts community, he feels privileged to give back by supporting the next generation of musicians.”