Ames Music

First, I like to assess where the student stands with their knowledge/experience in songwriting so I can best help them move to the next step. I can do this by listening to their existing recordings, reading their lyrics, poems or hearing a song they’ve covered by another artist. What if they’ve never done any of this? That’s fine! We start from square one… finding a simple chord progression either I can play, or teach them to play on guitar or piano, we come up with a song concept and start brainstorming lyrics for that concept. Sometimes I will just listen to a student talk about their life experience while I write out lyric ideas that come from their story. I’ll later send them the notes I’ve taken and more times than not, they’re able to extract lines to use as song material. As we move forward I’ll dig deeper in rhyme schemes, use of similes, metaphors and imagery etc… I encourage all students to keep a journal close by to jot down any and all ideas. I also encourage students to use GarageBand or Voice notes in their phone to record melody ideas. When/if the time comes, I can guide the student through the recording and release of the song if they choose to do so independently. 

I'm currently a professor of Music IND at UCLA's Herb Alpert School of Music, and I spent this past summer working as an instructor for Berklee's Summer Songwriting Intensive at Colburn. I’m signed as a writer to Kobalt Music Publishing, and as an artist to AWAL + Mateo Sound here in Los Angeles. In 2019, I worked as the sole Music Teacher for SOCAPA (School of Creative and Performing Arts). I also have multiple private students with whom I zoom with, for weekly lessons.  

Yes, I have a standard pricing system for my lessons. I charge $75 per hour, $100 for two hours. 

In a lot of ways, taking sessions with new artists is like teaching. I’ve been “sessioning” for Kobalt Music Publishing since 2015 and a lot of times, I’ll get in the room with a brand new artist who’s never written a full song before. It might be a Youtube Star, an Instagram model or someone just recently signed- someone has little to no experience making their own music. I think I learned more than THEY did during those sessions on how to draw an idea out of someone who isn’t as familiar with the creative process. Since then, I’ve taken teaching jobs when they present themselves and this past summer at SOCAPA (School of Creative and Performing Arts), I really got my teaching technique down. I’m also able to teach music history and theory if necessary! 

I’ve primarily worked with students between the ages of 13 to 19 (Some beginners, some already having recorded a song or two). I’m not opposed to working with older/more experienced songwriters however, I have one student who's a beginner, in his mid 30s. 

A recent event I am fond of, happened during my birthday weekend (this past weekend). As a present, my sister took me and my fiance to see "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" at the Arclight and it was fascinating to see what L.A. looked like in the 60's. We kept hollering and pointing out different street corners and restaurants that we're familiar with. It made living in Hollywood feel so special again.

The advice I would give any student is to take a break from listening to whatever is popular on Spotify/Youtube/iTunes...etc. -live a few days just listening to instrumental music. Cleanse your palate. Listen to your own inner voice and write down the ideas that come to you. ALWAYS keep a song journal, either on physical paper or in your iPhone 'notes' where you can keep any and all song ideas safe and ready for when inspiration hits. Try to learn a few easy chord progressions on Guitar or Piano, and do vocal exercises (you can find them on Youtube), to keep your voice healthy and strong.

Questions a student should think through: 

1) What are my weaknesses?

2) What are my strengths?

3) What do I hope to achieve by taking these lessons?

4) Do I want a career in music or is this a hobby?

5) How far am I willing to push myself?