I've often heard the argument that making music can't be taught. Critics are quick to point out that this is not a learned skill, but instead a mystical force dictated only by natural "god given" talent.
As an Instructor who teaches others how to make music, I fundamentally disagree with this argument, but understand why a disagreement exists. The division is mostly caused from either ignorance, a dislike of the definition, or the perception of a personal attack on one's core beliefs. Let's analyze these three main reasons for believing that teaching someone to make music is NOT possible.
Ignorance is relatively easy to argue against, because it simply means the person disagreeing with our notion doesn't really know anything about it. Perhaps someone told them it wasn't possible or they just came to the conclusion on their own. Either way, neither of those reasons are based off of personal experience or anything objective. Fortunately, these people are usually the most open to the idea of teaching someone to make music after explaining it a little bit to them. However, no one likes to admit they are ignorant on a certain subject, so these people can also be some of the most stubborn.
*It's important to focus on explaining to people how making music can be taught, rather than on the person disagreeing. That is why this portion of the article is a completely optional read in addition to the original.
Next, those few words (teaching someone to make music) tend to upset some people. So, lets slightly redefine it to: Explaining Musical concepts and then practically applying them so that the student has "tools" to work with, while simultaneously guiding the student through the creative process so that they may better be able to access their own creativity when it's necessary. As you can see, this definition is a bit lengthy, so most of us opt to use the former. I completely understand why someone would get upset though at the simplified "definition," Making Music can be Taught, and agree with the skeptics to a certain extent. If you (falsely) interpret "Making music can be taught" as "Making Great Music/Hit Songs/etc. can be taught" then you're absolutely justified to be upset and disagree.
I'm also of the belief that teaching someone to write Hit Songs/Great Music is not possible. "Great" is absolutely subjective, so how could you possibly teach something that constantly changes from person to person? Furthermore, "Hit Songs" also include a large amount of Marketing & PR, which isn't even related to writing music. You can most definitely teach someone the "formula" for writing Hit Songs (there is most definitely a consistent use of the same Form/Harmonies/Scales/etc. in Hit Songs across many genres), but that never guarantees it'll actually be a "Hit."
**This is why I never tell anyone that I'm able to teach them how to write "Great Music or Hit Songs." I only tell them that our end goal is simply "To be able to express whatever you want, however you want, and whenever you want with music." Through rigorous lessons on Harmony, Counterpoint, Orchestration, etc. and tons of finished songs or writing examples, they'll become more familiar with the musical tendencies of the past, what they love (musically) in the present, and where they'd like their music to progress in the future. This is what I offer.
Lastly, some people feel like their beliefs are being specifically targeted and attacked so they'll retaliate (even if logically proven that there is no reason to retaliate). Perhaps these people had a bad experience with a lackluster teacher or have been trying to write music on their own forever without any success. These two things could absolutely lead to the belief that making music can't be taught; however that doesn't mean it can't EVER be taught. If a belief is held quite deeply though, it will be very difficult to uproot and have these people legitimately give something else a shot. However, if you put yourself in their situation it's completely understandable. Think about it... If something you believed in deeply (and for quite a while) was proven to be inconsistent with the truth, then that would be very upsetting. It would mean that the belief you held for the entire time previous to this "revelation" was false and the only thing people hate admitting to more than being ignorant is... being wrong.
With this said and to a certain degree, I think the critics have a valid point. For example, I absolutely agree that there is a certain amount of that special something which is "un-teachable" and makes every person unique (thus it will be expressed through their music). Furthermore, any instructor who guarantees to make you a star or instantly write hit songs is a fraud. However, what must be understood is that writing music is both an Art and a Craft. This Craft portion can most definitely be practiced and no matter how naturally talented some of your favorite artists were/are, it's guaranteed that they put in thousands of hours of work to attain their level of expression mastery.
I know that a vast majority of creating music can be practiced and eventually perfected (I mean perfected as in you're able to perfectly express whatever you want). Everything I teach to my own students is based off of the idea of creating a musical "structure" with musical "tools." Theoretical Concepts, Improvisational Ability, Ear-Training, etc. these are all musical "tools" that can help you construct your music. Most Composition/Songwriting instructors agree with this, but many fail to understand that the person carrying the tools is just as unique and important as the tools themselves. What use is a hammer in the hands of a painter?
Beyond this, just because the process of practicing the craft of making music is mainly an intellectual exercise, this does not infer that the actual process of creating music has to be. As you put in hours upon hours of work (as you would with anything you care to master) executing certain things and actions become almost unconscious... muscle memory if you will. There is absolutely no rule that states, "Great Music is created by ______." First of all, "great" is subjective (especially as it applies to the arts). Secondly, when creating music, often there is a blend of intellectual analyzing/processing and intuitive decision-making. There is no black & white when creating... it's all grey. You can make it as intellectual, intuitive, or a blend of the two as you'd like. However, understand that by putting in the time to practice, more knowledge becomes absorbed in your unconscious so that it can freely flow from and influence your intuitive decision-making process.
This is why I create custom lessons catered to my student's strengths, personality, and desires/goals. A great instructor (especially when teaching a "fragile" topic like Songwriting/Composition) is essential in helping you effectively and quickly reach your musical goals. However, a great instructor must also realize that their teaching method must be able to adapt to the most important thing in the room... You. The Student. The Artist.
If you truly want to be able to create music, but have yet to see improvement after trying the techniques listed in this article, then contact me here. I will work with you so that you better understand how to practice and improve your ability to create music... and hopefully move yourself that much closer to expressing whatever it is you want.
Thanks for reading and keep composing fellow artists!