Hit-Writer Instructors
Pop - Country - R&B
Clay Mills
Marty Dodson
Shelly Peiken
Sara Davis
10 Hit-Maker Tracks
10 killer tracks by top track builders.
All tracks are exclusive to this course.
They can be used for pro song demos.
No generic tracks!
Over $4,000 value!
SongTown Presents:
Writing To Tracks - Next Level CrashCourse
We've lined up 4 Hit-Writer Instructors and 10 Pro Music Track Makers to help take your toplining skills to the next level...
3-Week Online Course / Replays On-Demand!
Starts Monday, May 9, 2022
How It Works
Writing melody and lyrics to a music track has become an essential part of today’s songwriter skill set. And it’s FUN! During this 3-week online course, we will mix pro writer instruction with actual songwriting.
You’ll write to original pro music tracks created specifically for this course by some of the industry's top track builders. These are exclusive tracks you can use for your own demos!
Key Features
- 10 exclusive pro music tracks created by hit-makers with styles ranging from Pop to Country to Christian (6 brand new tracks and 4 legacy tracks)
- Complete the class with 10 killer tracks by top track builders that you can use as pro song demos. Over $4,000 value!
- Learn pro techniques for lyricists and composers from multi- #1 hit songwriters Clay Mills and Marty Dodson
- Special Guest Hit-Writer Instructors: Shelly Peiken (multi-hit Pop/R&B writer) & Sara Davis (writer of global smash "abcdefu")
- Meet potential co-writers to collaborate with
- 1-month trial membership to SongTown for non-members who sign up!
Who Should Take The Writing To Tracks Class?
- Those new to track-writing and toplining
- Those with experience writing to tracks but wanting to take it to the next level
- Lyricists who want to write and feel confident in a track environment
- Melody writers who want to create better and more memorable melodies to tracks
- Anyone writing for pure fun or pursuing a staff writing career
Meet Your Hit-Writer Instructors
Clay Mills
Multi #1 Writer/Publisher
Clay is a Mississippi Delta native with a list of accolades that is quite impressive. He is a 12x ASCAP award winning songwriter/producer, penning #1 hits for Darius Rucker (“Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It”), Diamond Rio (“Beautiful Mess”), and Kimberley Locke (“Fall”). Along the way he collected Grammy Nominations for “Beautiful Mess” and Trisha Yearwood’s “Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love." Clay has had over 150 songs recorded by major recording artists and is co-author of the best-selling book Mastering Melody Writing.
Marty Dodson
Multi #1 Writer/Publisher
Marty was born in Apple Valley, California, and is an American singer-songwriter/producer. He has had songs recorded by artists such as Carrie Underwood, The Plain White T’s, Kenny Chesney, George Strait, The Oak Ridge Boys, Saving Jane, Lonestar, Billy Currington, and Craig Morgan. He’s written over 10,000 songs and celebrated 10 #1 songs (and counting) throughout his career! Marty is also the co-author of the acclaimed book Song Building.
Shelly Peiken
#1 Pop/R&B Writer & Grammy Nominee
Shelly is a multiplatinum Grammy-nominated songwriter best known for her #1 hits "What a Girl Wants" and "Come On Over Baby” by Christina Aguilera and the #2 hit “Bitch” by Meredith Brooks, which earned Shelly her first Grammy nomination.
She also has written for or with Britney Spears, The Pretenders, Natasha Bedingfield, Keith Urban, Celine Dion, Cher, Reba McEntire, Jessie J, Miley Cyrus, and Ed Sheeran. Hundreds of her songs have been placed on albums and in TV and film.
Her second Grammy nomination was for the audiobook Confessions of a Serial Songwriter, her memoir about songwriting.
Sara Davis
#1 Pop Writer & SongTown Alum
Sara’s song “abcdefu” sung by Atlantic Records artist GAYLE was a viral hit that recently reached #1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart. It surpassed over 500 million global streams as of March 2022.
Sara moved to Nashville from Arizona six years ago at the age of 14 to develop her craft as a topline songwriter in the growing pop community.
She signed on as a staff writer at Big Machine Music in May 2021. Her frequent collaborators include GAYLE, Track 45’s KK and Ben Johnson, and Marisa Maino. She's also collaborated with Altadena’s Riley Roth on “Stranger.”
Meet Your Track Builders
Daniel Ross
(Country, Pop, Sync)
Writer/Producer at Big Machine
Daniel is well-versed in a wide range of styles, from indie rock and alt-pop to new-school R&B. He is a songwriter and producer based in Nashville, and his resume is a Who’s Who of artists that includes FGL, Jake Owen, Rascal Flatts, Gabby Barrett, Chase Rice, Seaforth, Eli Young Band, and Lauren Weintraub.
Lo Miller
(Pop)
Writer/Artist/Producer at Prescription Songs
Lo, also known as Malibu Babie, is a Nashville transplant who caught the ear of Dr. Luke’s Prescription Songs. She signed on as one of their first Nashville writer/producers, becoming a vanguard to the burgeoning pop scene in Music City. Musical Neon. That’s Lo. Infectious production plus equal parts sass and quirk, this West Coast native speaks in melody and lives in perpetual rhythm.
Maks Gabriel
(Rock, Country, Pop)
Writer/Producer at Lady Luck Songs
Maks works with artists such as The Voice winner Cassadee Pope, rock supergroup 3 Doors Down, Radney Foster, and a long list of hit songwriters. Maks’s love for producing and songwriting drew him closer to one of his passions: TV and film. He’s had his songs placed on hit TV shows like Yellowstone, CMT’s Nashville, HBO’s True Blood, and The Mindy Project. Maks signed an exclusive publishing deal with Lady Luck Songs.
Hunter Leath
(Pop, Country)
Writer/Producer at Emack Music & Truss Music
Hunter grew up listening to a variety of music. Using influences from the bands of the 70’s to songwriters of the 90’s and 2000’s, Hunter began to craft his style of writing around the age of thirteen. He started studying the writing styles of artists such as Don Henley, Phil Vassar, Mac McAnally, and Billy Joel. His music tastefully blends the styles of Pop/Country and the modern style of Acoustic Singer-Songwriter, which forms a unique arrangement of music and melodies fit for a large variety of audiences.
Chris Sligh
(Country, Christian)
#1 Writer/Artist/Producer
Chris is a songwriter, artist, and producer based in Nashville. He was a finalist on the sixth season of American Idol, finishing in tenth place. He wrote "Here Comes Goodbye" for Rascal Flatts. As a producer, he LOVES to work with artists to help them develop their sound.
Marc "Butter" Fortney
(Country)
Hit Writer/Artist/Producer
Butter is a songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He was a founding member of the hit country act Trailer Choir on Show Dog/Universal Records. He produced the Matt Farris single "Keeping it Real."
Attend From Anywhere On Any Device!
Replays Available for all classes.
Classes are once a week (May 9, 16, 23)
Location: SongTown’s Online Video Classroom (Zoom)
Additional Details & Pricing For This Songwriting CrashCourse
- Classes are easy to view and participate in from your computer, laptop, or smartphone.
- All classes are available to watch on replay if you miss it live. We keep the video up for 3 weeks after your class to review at your leisure.
- Post your assignments in the SongTown.com forum and discuss with your classmates.
- Course includes 1-month trial membership to SongTown for non-members who sign up!
Class Schedule
- First class: Monday, May 9, 2022
- Individual Class Dates: May 9, 16, 23
- Class Time: 7pm- 8pm (CDT)
Location: Online on your computer or smart device
Price:
- Members $225
- Non-Members: $249 (Includes a month of SongTown full-access membership!)
- Diamond Members can use one of their Free CrashCourse Credits!
**Tuition is non-refundable once class sells out or begins
SongTown Success Stories
Not Another Video Course
Unlike most online masterclasses these days, you’re NOT getting a bunch of recorded videos and left to figure it out yourself. These are live Zoom classrooms with hit-writer instructors and professional music tracks. You'll get training and Q&A sessions each week with Clay & Marty. This is your chance for full interaction and hands-on training from hit songwriters.
Let's Do This!
FAST FORWARD YOUR WRITING
Make major progress in a very short time.
ST CrashCourses will change your songwriting for life!
HANDS-ON COACHING
Live Q&A with hit songwriters.
Weekly assignments for writing to tracks.
MEET POTENTIAL CO-WRITERS
Many ST students have met & become collaborators through SongTown, including the artist GAYLE & writer Sara Davis. They went on to write the global smash "abcdefu"!
VIDEO REPLAYS AVAILABE
If you can't make a class time, we've got you covered.
With video replays, you won't miss a thing.
SERIOUS FUN!
We believe in enjoying learning time.
No boring theory, just real-world techniques.
JOIN IN FROM ANY DEVICE
Join your weekly class experience from a computer or smart device.