Today, on Coursera, two courses ideal for music-lovers begin: Song writing  and Introduction to Music Production. The courses are taught by professors from Berkleemusic, the online branch of Berklee College of Music. And best of all, like all the courses that Coursera offers, it’s totally free of charge!

Songwriting com Pat Pattinson

Over the course of six weeks, the composer and professor Pat Pattinson will offer you the basic tools so that you can construct a song. Each week he will give a new class where you will learn the concepts, techniques and strategies that allow you to face the different challenges that come with combining words with music.

Pattinson intends to tackle topics from structural questions related to the interaction of the different types of musical phrases to the effect of the different rhyme schemes, or the way that prose and rhythm can be modulated to get the different effects you hear in songs.

The course is presented in video format and the evaluation is done through practical exercises. You don’t need previous experience or great knowledge about song writing as this is an introductory course. If you’ve wanted to write a song for a long time, but you were afraid to take the first step… no more excuses! On the other hand, if you already have experience writing songs, you can submit your own music for examination to receive the opinions of other people. 

Introduction to Music Production com Loudon Stearns

Loudon Stearns proposes to teach you how to produce your own music without having to leave the house. For six weeks, this musician, producer and music professor will help you get the most out of your computer when it’s time to record music and work with it.

With Stearns you will explore the nature of sound, understanding how different types of equipment intended to capture and record sound work, as well as show you how to make the right choice with the equipment for the sound you are looking for. You will study the different steps that you have to take to produce audio, from equalisation to sound effects. And finally, you will learn how to get the best sound possible with the equipment you already have and how to work with it to create your own music.

To take this course you need basic knowledge on the creation and producing of tracks in an audio production programme such as GarageBand, Pro Tools, or any other that you may have on your computer. If you are somewhat familiar with any of these programmes, you will not have any trouble following the classes.

The format of this course is very similar to the song writing course; you will find new videos every week, they will ask questions to evaluate your progress, and you can apply your knowledge in practical exercises where you will work with audio tracks provided by the professor.

Other courses

If you are passionate about this topic and you want more after these two courses, or if you are looking for other areas of music specialisation, on Coursera and different associated universities you will surely find the answer. Below we provide a list of the courses on musical topics that will be launched soon.

- 22 April 2013: Introduction to Guitar 

-  22 April 2013: Introduction to Improvisation 

-  13 May 2013: History of Rock, Part One 

-  3 June 2013: Fundamentals of Audio and Engineering: Part 1 Musical Sound and Electronics 

-  August: Fundamentals of Rehearsing Music Ensembles 

-  26 August 2013: Survey of Music Technology 

-  January 2014: Write Like Mozart: An Introduction to Classical Music Composition 

Translation: Daniel Parsons.