Education Center

By Dana Lalevee on April 5, 2017

Most of songwriting is based on a desire to share stories, a drive to get up and work at it every day, and pure talent. However, there are still opportunities to “learn” a few tricks of the trade along the way. This week...

Pro-songwriter Joe Doyle shares his process for crafting lyrics, outlines the lyrical terminology he believes every writer should know, and his best tips for penning great songs. Doyle's songs have been included on numerous multi-platinum, platinum and gold albums and cut by artists such as Tim McGraw, Kenny Rogers, Reba...

Hit songwriter Barry Dean (credited for "Pontoon" by Little Big Town, "Girls Chase Boys" by Ingrid Michaelson, and more) explains the special differences between writing for the pop and country genres.

Many people may know Liz Rose for her work with Taylor Swift ("White Horse," "You Belong With Me"), but her impressive credits expand to artists such as Little Big Town ("Girl Crush"), Martina McBride ("Diamonds"), and Eli Young Band ("Crazy Girl"). She has won 2 GRAMMY Awards and took home...

GRAMMY, CMA & ACM award-winning songwriter Liz Rose shares her philosophy on lyrical development, noting the importance of collaborators who will challenge you.

By Dana Lalevee on March 22, 2017

We’re an opinionated bunch over here at the NSAI headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee. A great percentage of us listen to music like it’s our jobs…because it IS our job. In the spirit of this month’s theme, we banded together to deliver our...