Hi and welcome to the MA Songwriting programme at ICMP! 

I’m Professor Sophie Daniels and I’m the programme leader and head of songwriting at ICMP. On behalf of the whole programme team, I’m very pleased to welcome you here and it’s great that you have accepted your place with us. We look forward to working with you, helping you become the songwriter you aspire to be, and building the foundations of your professional career in music. 

I’ve put together a list of resources for you to consider before joining us in September, from equipment lists to recommended reading. You can find it below. 

Have a great summer, and I look forward to meeting you soon. 

All the best, 

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Professor Sophie Daniels
Programme Leader, MA Songwriting

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About your MA Songwriting Degree

This course is an industry-focused and practice-based creative songwriting programme, that will support you as you examine and explore your songwriting goals and creative ambitions. You’ll be encouraged to constantly adjust and improve your writing, engage with professional songwriting ideals at the deepest possible level, and align your own creative practice with those goals. 

The modules you’ll explore will guide and challenge you through the process of creative development as you discover more about your own writing process and intentions. We’ll also hone your critical and analytical skills, expand your professional network, further your entrepreneurial skills, and provide new employment and career opportunities. 

This course will culminate in a research repertoire project – a large-scale songwriting portfolio which will embody your best work to date, your professional creative practice, and your fully realised individual research intentions. 

Our MA Songwriting programme continues ICMP’s established practice of close connection and engagement with the music business, using dual-practitioner tutors and a keen focus on industry-relevant vocational and entrepreneurial development. 

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Equipment Checklist

Essential

  • A notebook and pen, for all your new song ideas and lyrics 
  • A phone, to record voice memos 
  • Your instrument (pianos are provided) 
  • Headphones 

Recommended Equipment 

  • A laptop, preferably a MacBook Pro with Logic Pro/Ableton/other DAW software installed 
  • A basic home recording setup including a microphone, an audio interface, and instrument cables. ICMP has all of these items available for use, free of charge 

Don’t forget, as an ICMP student you’ll have access to exclusive discounts from leading music manufacturers, so if you’re thinking of buying new gear (from computers to instruments), it’s worth waiting until you start with us. 

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Have you confirmed your student finance yet?

Find out more

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Recommended Reading

Books

  • Camerson, J. (2020) The artist’s way: A spiritual path to higher creativity. London: Souvenir Press. 
  • Gilbert, E. (2015) Big magic: Creative living beyond fear. New York, NY: Riverhead Books 
  • Hawkins, S. (2016) Song maps: A new system to write your best lyrics. London: Great British Book. 
  • Pattison, P. (2009) Writing better lyrics. Cincinnati, OH: Writer’s Digest Books. 
  • West, A. (2016) The art of songwriting. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. 
  • Zollo, P. (2003) Songwriters on songwriting. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press. 

We look forward to meeting you in September... not long now!