Songwriting Sessions
Discover song ideas, learn new tools, and connect with a community of writers in online courses led by songwriter/author Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers in collaboration with special guest artists.
Join the email list to stay tuned about upcoming courses as well as concerts, interviews, video lessons, and more.
In the meantime, the Songwriter Circle meets monthly to share and discuss songs in progress.
Feedback from Songwriting Sessions participants
“As a person who has a full-time job, I so appreciate Jeffrey’s songwriting classes. I can easily fit them into my schedule, and he offers useful, bite-sized tips and exercises that really move my songwriting forward from week to week.”
—Jayne S.
“This workshop, along with Jeffrey’s book, is a must for developing songwriters. The course is thoughtful and supportive while offering respectful and helpful critiques.”
—Gordie Gottlieb
About the teacher
Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
“JPR is probably the most knowledgeable presenter of songwriting strategies that one can find. He is a both a natural and accomplished teacher.”
—Robert Orioli
Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers has combined his twin passions for words and music into a multifaceted career as a musician, author, and teacher.
He is a grand prize winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, the founding editor of Acoustic Guitar magazine, and author of The Complete Singer-Songwriter, Beyond Strumming, and many other books and videos for musicians.
A “renowned guitar teacher” (Boston Globe), Rodgers has been a staff instructor at Ashokan Acoustic Guitar Camp and Lamb’s Retreat for Songwriters, and for many years has taught courses on songwriting and creative nonfiction writing at Syracuse University. In 2024, he was inducted into the Syracuse Area Music Awards (SAMMY) Hall of Fame as a music educator. He offers additional guitar and songwriting lessons through his Patreon community.
Past guest artists
Beth Wood
Adam Levy
Courtney Hartman
Mark Erelli
Peter Mulvey
Cliff Eberhardt
Vance Gilbert
Jonathan Byrd
Natalia Zukerman
Willy Porter
“Jeffrey’s class is a safe place to explore ideas and learn new tools. His style is down to earth, and he makes everyone feel valued and supported.”
— Melissa D. Moorhouse
“This songwriting class is inspiring, not only for the talent, skill, and experience of the instructors, but also for the creativity and support of the class members.”
—Steve Mahoney
How online sessions work
When you register, you’ll receive a link for attending the live meeting through Zoom video conferencing. (See this post for tips about sharing music on Zoom.)
During the sessions, you’ll have opportunities to try exercises, ask questions, share your own work, and offer feedback. For presenting a song idea, you can either perform live or play back a recording, and share a lyric sheet with the group.
All sessions are recorded and archived if you aren’t able to attend live or want to review.
All course materials—including meeting notes, links, handouts, prompts, a playlist of songs discussed, and recordings of the Zoom sessions—are saved on a private course web page. You’ll continue to have access to this resource after the course ends.
You’re also invited to join a private Facebook group, the Words and Music Lounge, for continuing the conversation and staying in contact with fellow songwriters.