In regular lessons, students usually play pieces from their music books, leaving little to no time for original compositions. As a result, the musical phenomena in these pieces can seem distant, and students become familiar with the pieces mainly from a technical standpoint. What if we approached music more holistically in lessons? We could practice not just interpretation but also music creation—exploring creativity, melodies, harmonies, lyrics, and even recording.
We specifically created the Singer-Songwriter bundle at Musiikkikoulu Säveltie for this purpose. The Singer-Songwriters' season includes both instrumental and vocal lessons, covering not only playing and singing but also composition, music theory, and lyric writing. While you can certainly compose music in regular instrumental and vocal lessons at Säveltie, the Singer-Songwriter package is tailored specifically for this purpose. Like all our teaching at Säveltie, this package is suitable for both children and adults.
What do the lessons include?
Lessons are held weekly, just like regular instrumental lessons. Every other week is a vocal lesson and the alternate weeks are instrumental lessons. You can choose practically any instrument, but we particularly recommend the piano. As a visual instrument, the piano greatly helps in understanding music, and you'll become familiar with bass lines, harmony, and melody.
The goal is for Singer-Songwriters to always have at least one original song in progress, which will be developed with the help of teachers during both instrumental and vocal lessons. However, lessons will not focus solely on original compositions. It's also important to explore different musical styles and traditions, even when creating new music. This way, discovering your own musical voice becomes easier as you learn what you like and dislike. Lessons can certainly focus on a specific style if the student has one in mind.
You don’t need to compose songs entirely from scratch, as we start learning to compose gradually through various exercises. This approach gradually leads to more independent and proactive songwriting.
At the end of the season, we can record finished songs or even prepare a small performance. The most important thing is that all compositions are preserved in some form so they can be enjoyed even years later.
So, it's also possible to practice composition, and often, a successful song might be preceded by dozens of less successful attempts. Gradually, however, the success rate increases as composing becomes more routine through regular practice.
Home Practice
Just like with more traditional instrumental lessons, songwriting also involves practice and work done at home. Often, musical ideas may need several days to mature before the final result meets your expectations. Ideas can keep developing in your mind even when you're not actively focused on them—such as while you're sleeping. Additionally, the routine mentioned earlier develops when composing becomes part of (at least nearly) your daily life.
Summary
The Singer-Songwriter bundle at Musiikkikoulu Säveltie encompasses all of this. Ultimately, the structure of the season doesn’t differ much from regular instrumental and vocal lessons, but the content emphasizes aspects particularly useful for songwriting. Additionally, you'll benefit from alternating weekly instrumental and vocal lessons. So, jump in and start composing your own hits!
Eetu Hämäläinen
Singer-Songwriter Bundle at Musiikkikoulu Säveltie
The season includes 13 x 30 min lessons.
Welcome!
In The Spotlight:
Piano, Bands, Theory
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays
Eetu Hämäläinen
Eetu Hämäläinen is a musician and music educator from Helsinki. He has extensive experience as a performing musician, as well as in composing and arranging. Eetu has composed film music and also a full-length musical! Additionally, he has written arrangements for various ensembles, including several wind orchestras. He enjoys playing music of all genres himself.
Continuous learning is part of Eetu's philosophy of life, and he strives to find opportunities to learn something new in every moment. Eetu has graduated from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences both as a musician and music educator.
As a teacher, Eetu is calm and provides his students with the time and space they need to progress in their studies. What matters most to him is that students feel safe to explore their musicality in class and have the opportunity to be exactly who they are.
Piano, Bands, Theory
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays
Eetu Hämäläinen
Eetu Hämäläinen is a musician and music educator from Helsinki. He has extensive experience as a performing musician, as well as in composing and arranging. Eetu has composed film music and also a full-length musical! Additionally, he has written arrangements for various ensembles, including several wind orchestras. He enjoys playing music of all genres himself.
Continuous learning is part of Eetu's philosophy of life, and he strives to find opportunities to learn something new in every moment. Eetu has graduated from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences both as a musician and music educator.
As a teacher, Eetu is calm and provides his students with the time and space they need to progress in their studies. What matters most to him is that students feel safe to explore their musicality in class and have the opportunity to be exactly who they are.
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