you stumble across the flyer almost completely by accident, but it’s also everywhere and sort of hard to miss. you might’ve seen it stapled to a telephone pole during your commute, pinned to a community board at your favorite coffee shop, or even as an ad online. it’s the same everywhere, in big, bright red letters:
FREE!
songwriting & composition workshop at korea national university of arts (KNUA).
one week only. participation is limited.
the department of music would like to invite you to our songwriting and composition workshop. this intensive, weeklong course, hosted by KNUA’s own department of music composition faculty, will go over the basics of industry standard software, music theory, lyric writing, composition, and more. at the end of the session, participants will have created their own song and have the chance to record a demo.
this class takes place monday through saturday, 4:30pm-10:30pm.
did that say free? you simply can’t resist the opportunity! when else will you have an opportunity to study with industry professionals at one of the best known arts universities in the country? even if you never thought about writing a song in your life, this seems like the perfect opportunity to give it a try.
however, you quickly realize that participating in this class will be taking up a significant amount of time. time that could have been spent practicing other skills. they may get a bit rusty while they’re not being used, but it’s only a week. it’s nothing that you can’t easily build back up in the future.
you register for the class just in time. a confirmation email is sent to you, welcoming you to the program and letting you know to arrive early at 4:00 monday for a brief introduction before the class finally begins.
an opportunity that ara cannot resist has come up... one that requires her to really see how unrealistic her schedule has become. something has to give. because its at the time of signing up for this course that it’s purely set what ara desires: to focus on this new ebb in her life and that might include leaving her old life behind. she’s going to resign from the dance school. clearly, it’s impossible to juggle all three: training, school, and a part time job. something had to give. but at least ara was sure of what she preferred to do now.
and at the workshop, its eye opening. previously, composition and producing was something that felt way out of sight for ara. she’d never considered herself a natural with the production side of things, feeling that it’d be easier to be given something. the passion was there, but she didn’t feel the natural drive or talent for it, but this could surely jump start it. sometimes, all we need is a push in the right direction. after all, she loved the idea of performing, and being a trainee - what better than to eventually perform a song that she participated in writing? the sky is the limit.
monday was already exciting enough, getting to dabble in the barebones of the basics. she’s a bit stiff, but getting used to it. hey, she’s a quick learner. getting used to the software is one thing, but she heads home in the evening, with her heart full and ready for another full evening for the remainder of the week.
