Write lyrics that land.
A focused, hands-on lyric intensive. Each week breaks down a core element of lyric writing and puts it to work on your own songs, with live feedback and guided rewrites led by Dean Fields and a featured hit songwriter.
Wednesdays, 3pm ET · Oct 28 to Nov 18 · Enrollment extended to Oct 27
Enroll NowA small room, real feedback, sharper lyrics
Skill Lab: Lyrics is built around doing the work, not just learning about it. You'll write, share, and rewrite every week alongside a small group and pro songwriters.
Live Feedback & Guided Rewrites
Bring your own lyrics for direct critique from a pro and your group, then a guided rewrite on the spot. This is the lab.
4 Live Sessions
Four weekly 90-minute sessions: a short lesson and listening, a quick exercise, then about an hour of workshop on your songs.
An Intimate Group
A deliberately small cohort, so every writer gets real attention and time on their own work.
Song Analysis
Each lesson breaks down songs from John Prine to Billie Eilish through a specific lens, so you learn to hear what's working, and why.
Four Questions for Every Rewrite
Leave with a simple editing tool you can take into any lyric: does it belong, is it doing enough, does it feel right, does it sound like you.
Taught by Pros
Learn from working hit songwriters who do this for a living: their craft, their instincts, and their real-world process.
Four weeks, four elements of a great lyric
Each week isolates one element of lyric writing and puts it to work on your own songs.
"Do I understand what you're saying?"
Find the emotional center of your song, make a promise to the listener, and earn the hook when it arrives.
"Do I believe it? Can I see it?"
Move from abstract to concrete to significant, and find details that do double duty.
"Does it feel good to sing?"
Phrasing, pattern, and expectation: what your song teaches the ear to want, and when to break it.
"Can we make it better?"
Question your first choices, cut what's generic, compress, and protect the lines only you could write.
Four questions for every rewrite
Each week adds one question. By the end, you have a way to hear what's working in any lyric and make stronger choices when something isn't.
FOCUS
Does this belong?
Week 1
DETAIL
Is this doing enough?
Week 2
FLOW
Does this feel right?
Week 3
VOICE
Does this sound like me?
Week 4
Not a set of rules for writing songs. Better ways to listen to what you've written.
Songs we'll take apart
Every lesson starts with a listen. We break down how great writers use the week's tools, then put those tools to work on your lyrics.
Also on the playlist: "Jolene" (Dolly Parton), "Good Luck, Babe!" (Chappell Roan), "Elephant" (Jason Isbell), "What a Wonderful World" (Louis Armstrong), Paul Simon, "Sail Away" (Randy Newman), "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" (Lucinda Williams), and "Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen).
Song selections may vary by session.
Is Skill Lab: Lyrics right for you?
This is for you if…
- You've written some songs and want your lyrics to hit harder.
- You've finished Foundations and you're ready to go deeper on the words.
- You can bring works-in-progress and want real feedback on them.
- You learn best in a small, hands-on group.
Maybe start elsewhere if…
- You're brand new and haven't finished a song yet. Try Foundations.
- You're an experienced writer ready to collaborate. Try Co-Writing Rooms.
- You want a full idea-to-produced-demo course, not a lyric intensive. Try Foundations.
Learn from working hit songwriters
Skill Lab: Lyrics is led by Dean Fields, with a featured hit songwriter joining the room each week to workshop your lyrics alongside him.
Between us, we've written songs recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Kenny Chesney, The Chicks, Robert Plant, Lori McKenna, Alan Jackson, Max McNown, and more.
Dean Fields
Cuts by Lori McKenna & William Clark Green · No. 1 on Texas radio · placements with Disney, Paramount & ABC.
Nashville-based songwriter, performer, and producer. A Classical Composition graduate of William & Mary, he's played 1,000+ shows nationwide and now mentors emerging writers through American Songwriter.
This fall's guest songwriters
Adam Wright
Multi-Grammy-nominated · cuts by Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood.
Sarah Siskind
Cuts by Robert Plant, Alison Krauss & Wynonna · 20+ songs on ABC's Nashville.
Maia Sharp
Cuts by Bonnie Raitt, The Chicks, Cher & Art Garfunkel · adjunct professor at NYU.
Ava Suppelsa
Cuts by Keith Urban & Carly Pearce · 350M+ streams · "30 Under 30."
Questions, answered
What is Skill Lab: Lyrics?
It's a focused, four-week lyric-writing intensive from Songwriter U. Each week breaks down a core element of writing lyrics and puts it straight to work on your own songs, with live feedback and guided rewrites in a small group.
When does it start?
Sessions run Wednesdays at 3pm ET: October 28, November 4, November 11, and November 18. Enrollment has been extended and now closes Tuesday, October 27 at 11:59pm ET.
How is it different from Foundations?
Foundations takes a beginner from a blank page to a finished, produced song across the whole craft. Skill Lab: Lyrics is an intermediate deep-dive into one part of that craft, the lyrics, for writers who already finish songs and want the words to be stronger.
How do I know if I'm ready?
You're a good fit if you've written some songs, can bring works-in-progress, and want direct feedback on your lyrics. Finishing Foundations also prepares you well. If you haven't completed a song yet, start with Foundations first.
What's the format, live or self-paced?
It's a live, cohort-based intensive: four weekly 90-minute sessions with a small group. Each session is a short mini-lesson with guided listening, then about an hour of live feedback and guided rewrites. Between sessions you revise and bring updated drafts back.
What should I bring?
Your lyrics. A finished song, a fragment, or something you start during the course all work. Each week you'll apply the lesson to your own writing and get feedback on it.
What will I leave with?
Sharper lyrics on the songs you bring, plus four questions you can take into any rewrite: Does this belong? Is this doing enough? Does this feel right? Does this sound like me?
What's the refund policy?
Full refund until enrollment closes on October 27. No refunds once the course begins.
Join the lab.
Four weeks, your lyrics, and live feedback from hit songwriters. Enrollment extended: closes Tuesday, October 27 at 11:59pm ET.
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