12 - First Lesson

Professor Sebastian sits at the edge of the desk and clasps his hands. “Today, we’re going to talk about point of view,” he says in a firm voice. I’m curious to see how he differs from our previous professor in terms of how he instructs us on songwriting.

“A point of view describes the relationship between the audience and the singer. Here’s a case: a story of a man’s selfless devotion to the woman he loves.”

My eyes move around the room to look at everyone’s faces. All eyes are focused forward, mouths are sealed shut, and everyone else has their notes ready. I sit properly.

“Let’s call him Joe,” the professor continues. “Joe loves this woman, but as listeners of his story, we don’t know that because we don’t know them. Only the songwriter can tell you that story...”

Professor Sebastian tenses up and walks to the center.

“What we want to do here is to express an idea. What am I going to say? Which approach should I take? From personal experience? Perhaps you’ve had your heart bro