Practical Production Analysis: Helping Students Produce Competitive Songs

Misty Jones

Middle Tennessee State University

Abstract

A common goal among music production educators is that upon completion of their studies, students will be able to produce songs that are competitive in today’s market. The challenge is that we cannot begin to cover all the genres and subgenres in which students express interest. This paper introduces a simple production analysis method that not only helps students achieve the aforementioned goal, but also empowers them to modify the curriculum to fit their genre of choice. This method can also be used with students who have varying levels of skill. This paper addresses four core areas of proficiency (form, instrumentation, texture variation, and audio/production techniques), the classroom method, analysis process, and the benefits and challenges that were discovered.    

Keywords: music production, songwriting, production analysis, music industry, student success

Jones, Misty. “Practical Production Analysis: Helping Students Produce Competitive Songs.” Journal of the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association 17, no. 1 (2017): 59-78. https://doi.org/10.25101/17.3.

Click here to download pdf of the full article