Songwriting with Jason S.

Born and raised in Kenya, I'm a singer, songwriter, recording artist, and producer. I received a partial scholarship to Berklee College of Music as part of their African Scholars Program, and in August of 2010, left Nairobi for Boston to pursue an Professional Diploma in Songwriting. While studying at Berklee, I was awarded the Pat Pattison Award in 2014 in recognition of outstanding musicianship in the songwriting department, and as part of the graduating class of 2015, chosen to give the commencement address as student speaker. My love of music began at an early age but it wasn't until I was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure at the age of fifteen, that I turned to songwriting as a way to process the experience. My passion for songwriting grew steadily and I spent hours and hours listening to music, analyzing why the songs worked. After two years of dialysis, I had a successful kidney transplant in 2007! I credit the experience for adding depth, purpose and identity to my songwriting. When teaching songwriting, I like to take a holistic approach. Students learn to recognize, explore and apply the four basic building blocks of songs, Rhythm, Melody, Harmony and Lyrics. My lessons also focus on helping students express themselves authentically and discover their original musical identity. Above all I believe that songwriting should be fun and stress-free. I aim to create an atmosphere in which the student feels relaxed and confident. My goal is to get you to where you want to be. I believe that anyone with a desire to write songs can: I will give you the tools, and you decide what you'll decide what you want to build with them. I look forward to working with you and helping you along your songwriting journey.