Shane McAnally Teaching Online Songwriting Class

Shane McAnally is passing along his knowledge to fellow songwriters in a special class.

One of Nashville’s most revered and accomplished songwriters, McAnally has created a 10-week class designed for songwriters, producers and artists. The course will teach the “Nashville approach to songwriting,” which uses “lyricism, wordplay, rhyme and melody to tell compelling stories through song,” he describes in a video that shows him working in the studio.

McAnally notes that Nashville songwriting goes beyond country music and that the class will connect attendees to other songwriters from around the world to bounce ideas off of. McAnally will teach them his “entire songwriting process,” and by end of course, attendees will walk away with originally-written songs.

“The difference between a good and a great songwriter is the ability to tell your truth,” he says, adding that championing the art of “storytelling and lyricism” is at the “heart of this class.” The online class, which starts at $1,999, takes place January 10 – March 31, 2023, via Studio and has limited seating available.

“I do not believe you can actually ‘teach’ someone to be a songwriter, however, there are ways to set yourself up for success,” he explains in an Instagram post. “I can only share my experience and the habits that have helped me to open the lines of creativity and to say/write something that matters…even if only to me. I write songs because I have to, and if you have that same desire, I think this class could give you some tools to get started and to follow through.”

McAnally has written several hit country songs over the past decade including Luke Bryan’s “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye,” Sam Hunt’s “Body Like a Back Road” and Kenny Chesney’s “Come Over.” He’s also won three Grammy Awards for his work as a writer and producer on Kacey Musgraves’ albums Same Trailer Different Park and Golden Hour. He’s also a mentor on the NBC show, Songland, which pairs hit songwriters with up-and-coming writers.

Photo by Robbie Klein