a peak into our Songwriting Masterclass
Written by Elizabeth Chavez
In the songwriting masterclass session at HVS Conservatory, Sam DeRosa started out by asking each of us in attendance what we felt we struggled with or what we wanted more insight on in the songwriting process.
Sam then took us through her personal “Tools Not Rules.” One point she made sure to drive home was how important your taste, style, and self-awareness are. Those are the things you can come back to and develop as you grow and trust in the creative songwriting process.
The next point was that there should always be a message: who / to whom / about what / why?
If you are getting stuck while songwriting, try to answer these questions, and have fun with the story. This was a good reminder for me that not every song has to be deep and personal. I can make something up and be silly even. She also mentioned that a good song is a conversation.
Sam also reminded us that there are multiple stages to the process and you can always come back to make changes after a rough draft to the first edit to the final version. For me this is helpful to remember, and for any other perfectionist out there, the song isn’t going to come out perfectly as you try to write it. This is a good segue into the next point, sometimes the process sounds like nonsense to start.
This was a question I had about how to lead with melodic ideas in songwriting because I tend to start with lyrics first. I learned that when you are starting with melodic ideas, try to incorporate syllables somewhere in between mumbling and scatting, as much as you can and get inspiration for the lyrics from there. Follow the vowels. These will lead you to the most natural sounding lyrics for your melody.
Sam then talked about the Swedish producer Max Martin and his very effective trend of using timing very intentionally by starting each section on a different part of the beat. For example, if the verse starts on the off beat, then the chorus starts strong on the downbeat. The impact is in the contrast. Another helpful nugget she mentioned is that what you think is your chorus might actually be a pre-chorus.
Sam then gave each of us students a chance to share one of our songs for feedback. She also engaged us with a few songwriting games that help with more creative lyric ideas. One that I found particularly helpful is making a list of 10 adverbs, 10 adjectives, 10 nouns, and writing a few paragraphs combining words from the columns. I tried this exercise at home recently and it helped me finish a song that I had been slowly working out for about a month. I definitely gained valuable tools and insights from this masterclass and feel inspired to keep working on songwriting.
About Sam Derosa
Sam DeRosa is a multi-platinum artist and songwriter originally from NY, based in LA.
As a songwriter, Sam’s infectious cross-genre earworms range from Jason Derulo, Flo Rida, Bebe Rexha, to Fitz & The Tantrums, Hunter Hayes, Kylie Morgan, Lukas Graham, Dixie D’Amelio and Jonas Blue. She co-wrote “broken” by lovelytheband which isa record breaking, longest charting song in alt radio history (over 74 weeks).
Her recently grammy nominated work was featured on the title track, “Evergreen” by Pentatonix. As an artist , Sam first appeared on NBC’s SONGLAND with her single “pill for this” which peaked #3 on the iTunes pop charts and #6 globally in 2019. As an independent artist, she successfully self funded, released, and toured her own music since 2020 and just released her 3rd body of work, the “GREENER” EP. She hopes to release her debut album in 2025 while writing with other artists as a songwriter.
Follow Sam’s music on Spotify here.
Check out our schedule of masterclasses. HVS Conservatory also offers free community events, including acoustic session, seasonal open house events, and artist showcases.