Skills Successful Songwriters and Producers Utilize and Why It Matters to Music Educators

There is currently an ongoing debate among musician theorists, largely on social media platforms, concerning the appropriateness of teaching music theory in its current, centuries-old form. Much of the discussion has centered on the cultural implications of solely valuing a tonal system embedded in a white European tradition. Additionally, many have contemplated the appropriateness of promoting older musical traditions embedded in most music theory training through AP testing and college music major programs.

It seems to be an inflection point for music theory educators as they interrogate why many are teaching music systems embedded so deeply in the past. Moreover, the imminent difficulty remains, just what is required to sustain the musical life of today’s musician, what is relevant, and what is taught simply out of tradition? For music educators, specifically those who teach composition and songwriting, the question might be extended to ask, what exactly do current music producers and songwriters say they require to be successful?

In this chapter, I investigate the ways two very prominent songwriters/music producers discuss their process to question: what types of music skills are they utilizing? Second, what role did their musical training play in forming their musical output in their day-to-day work? Working backward, or perhaps from a top-down perspective, I hope to gain insight into the skills most needed by successful music professionals engaged in songwriting and song production.

In this way, music educators can begin to map musical skills that merit continued emphasis when engaging young people in the educative musical experience. For music educators focused on the pedagogy of songwriting, it is perhaps time we ask ourselves, just like the music theorists, what matters and how can we better guide the next generation of musical creatives. Last, this chapter features two musicians who define themselves as songwriters and producers in the electronic dance and rap genres.

When I requested the two participants define what they do, what the term producer means to them, they both acknowledged that the producer role is complex, multifaceted, and requires a wide range of skills. A definition of producer or songwriter is not provided in this paper because the participants use these terms in a myriad of ways to represent the complexity of their music-making. The dissonance between their definitions of the terms, and the way music educators typically denote composing or songwriting is detailed later in the chapter.

I begin by introducing the reader to Chris Leacock, one of the most successful and prominent songwriters and DJs in the United States and beyond. Next, I unpack the ways Chris describes his approach to the creative process and what he states most valuable. Last, I connect the themes presented by Chris to current streams of research of music education with an emphasis on extending this work in more detailed and nuanced ways. Next, I introduce Cody Colacino, a record producer, musician, branding expert, entrepreneur, and founder of Pure Sinners Entertainment. Similarly, I explicate the ways Cody describes his creative process and the ways his early formative musical experiences shape his current aesthetic.