Topline is a specialized niche of songwriting where the focus is on melody, lyrics, and performance over a preexisting track/beat/sonic structure. Learn a bit of history of how the craft of topline has become a significant role in the creative space of the music industry.

The key to a great love song is a specific yet universal message that feels like it’s about you and your special someone. This is how you achieve that.

Sparsh Shah’s cover of Eminem’s “Not Afraid” went viral when he was just 13 years old. Now at 19, Sparsh has traveled the world as a singer, songwriter, motivational speaker, philanthropist, and Guinness World Record holder. He talks about earning his bachelor’s degree at Berklee Online.

Learn the basics of writing melody with the help of Jack Perricone’s book Melody in Songwriting: Tools and Techniques for Writing Hit Songs.

Prosody in songwriting is when all the elements work together to support the central message of the song, creating an appropriate relationship between the elements. Learn how to enhance your songwriting with prosody!

Bruce Hornsby discusses his humble start in a Grateful Dead cover band, his mega breakthrough with “The Way It Is,” and his recent indie rock resurgence via his collaborations with members of Bon Iver. And yes, he also discusses how surreal it was to play 100+ shows with the real Grateful Dead!

Marchell Jackson’s life in music officially began when she and her friends started a vocal group in the 1960s, and it continues to this day, where at the age of 71 she is a working performer and a Berklee Online student.

As a songwriter, finding a song title is the big question, and the hard one, because a title is only as good as your imagination—your ability to do something interesting with it. Pat Pattison shares how you can make your song titles more interesting.

Bruce Sudano has written songs that have been sung by Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, and his late wife, Donna Summer, including the disco hit “Bad Girls.”