Hit Songs and Creativity: APME Reflection

From June 4-8, I attended the Association for Popular Music Education (APME) conference in Memphis, TN – hosted by the University of Memphis. For those who don’t know, I’ve been a long-time member of APME – I was on their board from 2014-2020, and in the last four years of my term, served as both Vice President and then President. Needless to say the org is near and dear to my heart – and if you work in popular music – whether you’re a K-12 teacher, a pre-service college educator, a practitioner, a scholar or you work in one of the pop programs in higher education training the next professionals, this conference is for you – so definitely check out the org!

All that to say that the conference was amazing. There were colleagues from all over the world presenting on songwriting, popular music education, instrumental and voice, artificial intelligence, curriculum...so many wonderful presentations and discussions to be had! There were also over 150 students from k-college attending and receiving masterclasses, performing and going to any sessions they felt were interesting.

Shout out to the high school students who came to my session on Form in Songwriting – and to Ray for knowing that my scavenger hunt song was Hot to Go! I got to share knowledge and stories with so many people, had so many laughs, and just connected on a deep level – leaving feeling exhausted, but also energized and excited.

I gave two presentations. The first one was entitled Hit Songs Decoded: Structural Secrets Behind Successful Songs and How they can Help You Teach Songwriting and Write Better Songs. I know, long title – but the basic gist was unpacking how form plays a major role in how a song works – and that the wrong form can undermine the message of a song. Additionally, I spoke about how form plays a role in our expectations and helps us feel tension and release – and that you can use all this information to inform your writing of songs and teaching songwriting. I think the only downside was that I had 20 minutes to fly though all of this…and I could have easily used 90.

The second presentation was centered around how to keep creating even in the midst of work, job, family – and how working with Your Why, Boundaries, and Reframing Success can lead you to do more creative work and to continue to create throughout your life, regardless of what else is going on. This topic is near and dear to both my and Sarah’s hearts. We both firmly believe in making time for creative work – whatever that may look like – but also affirm that it can be difficult to maintain that part of your being when you feel you’re being pulled in other directions.

I know that it can be hard – but it’s also SO worth it. I always know when I haven’t spent enough time working or practicing or writing – I get ornery and depressed – but the minute I pick up my guitar or sit at a piano or start singing – even if it’s only for 10-15 minutes, everything changes. We’re asking you – what can you do today that would be a step in a creative direction for you? Maybe it’s paint your nails a wacky color. Maybe it’s taking a walk outside in a direction you don’t normally walk. Maybe it’s writing a little bit of a song. Maybe it’s creating with your kids. Whatever it is, try to make some time every day to be creative.

Lastly, we’re excited to share that we’ll be working on some YouTube videos, downloadable materials and maybe even some mini-courses on each of these subjects as well as some more content that you’ll have access to for the next school year.

All the best for summer!

Kat