If you’re a music educator looking to bring songwriting into your classroom—or even just into your own life—you’ve probably heard the word “production” tossed around a lot. Maybe you’ve even wondered: What does a music producer actually do? Do I need to learn production to help my students write so...

One of the most common struggles songwriters face is not knowing what to write about. I hear it from students and professionals alike: "I just don’t feel like writing," or "Everything’s great—what am I supposed to write about?"

This is where prompt-based writing (also known as writing to a brief) c...