Deason 1

Robert A. Deason

Dr. Kathleen Yancey

ENC 5700

20 March 2017

PERSPECTIVE Project
Composition in the field of songwriting is a delicate processone that is dynamic,
challenging, and inspirational. The interviews conducted during this project focus on traditional
songwritingessentially referring to one person creating the entire composition with little
assistance, and after a lengthy editing process, performing the composition to a live audience and
eventually recording in a studio. Both songwriters, Tyler Denning and Rachel Hillman, agreed to
do an interview focused on their views of compositionafterwards, they also agreed to provide
examples of their work while participating in the composition process. Their perspectives are
intriguing to individuals looking for unique views on composition outside of fields like rhetoric,
language studies, and courses generally offered in English departments. The questions used for
each interview are included below:
When did you start composingand what or who were your early passions and
influences?
What are currently your main compositional challenges?
The role of the composer has always been subject to change. What's your view on the
(e.g. political/social/creative) tasks of composers today and how do you try to meet
these goals in your work?
Usually, it is considered that it is the job of the composer to win over an audience.
But listening is also an active, rather than just a passive process. How do you see the
role of the listener in the songwriting communications process?
How, do you feel, could contemporary compositions reach the attention of a wider
audience? (Fifteen Questions)
Tyler Denning started writing songs when he was fifteen years old. His first inspiration
was James Taylor, an iconic artist who, as Tyler stated, has a combination of feeling and great
lyrics (2017). Tyler started writing poetry in middle school, and in 9th grade, his English teacher
sparked his interest in creative writingaround this time, he also watched a film called Dead
Poets Society (1989), and that inspired him even more. Tyler never thought he would create
musical compositions, but after having a broken heart, and continuously listening to songwriters
like Stevie Wonder, he became more passionate about the process. Tyler noted multiple
compositional challenges that he faces as a writer. Starting a new song is a challenge, and he
argues that it may be more difficult to start a song than to finish one. Also, determining the
subject matter for a song is challenginghe mentions three different options and the difficulty
involved in choosing one. These include What am I feeling vs. What people want to hear? Do I
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want to make people happy? Do I want to confuse people? Do I want to be the deep guy?
(2017). He also described vocal limitations, editing and revising, and rhythm as regular
challenges that he encounters in the songwriting process.
Tyler believes the role of the composer in songwriting is to be collaborative, but also to
be open to spontaneity and the nature of inspiration. He contrasted this with modern
songwriting, where many individuals are involved in the process (modern pop, hip-hop, etc.).
Tyler says that people often forget to distinguish between artists who simply perform songs
rather than write the composition, perform it, and complete other tasks involved in the process.
Another challenge he acknowledges is choosing between writing the song as Tyler would, in
contrast with making a composition thats designed for marketabilityor to sell records like in
modern pop genres. Tyler believes the role of the listener in the songwriting communications
process is often active, but usually passive. He says the role of the composer is to know your
demographics, know whos listening, and to master your craft so its easier to satisfy the fans.
Overall, it has to do with the setting where your composition is being heard.
Currently, Tyler believes that contemporary compositions can reach a wider audience by
the use of blogs and music streaming websites (Spotify, Soundcloud, YouTube). He says that
Facebook has a large amount of power through advertisement. All in all, Tyler views
composition in songwriting as an affliction, a craft he committed himself to when I realized I
wasnt happy doing anything else (Denning, 2017). He also views it as a struggle between
doing it successfully or honestly.
Rachel Hillman started writing songs in 7th grade. She sold her first compositions for 10
cents as piece, and was influenced by EDM artists such as Daft Punk. She was also influenced
by Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera Some of her first compositions were love songs, and
when she moved to Tallahassee, she started listening to some of her dads musicThe Beatles,
Pearl Jam, Jeff Buckley, etc. Rachel says that her main compositional challenges include
writing something that isnt crappy (2017), creating compositions that arent exclusive to her
own life, and writing something thats interesting, but also relatable to a large, diverse audience.
She noted Joni Mitchell and John Mayors compositions because they write from a lot of
different perspectives (Hillman, 2017).
Rachel says there is an ever-changing landscape in modern music, and lyrics are being
communicated in a variety of different ways. In the past, people listened to lyrics through the
radio and record players. The modern scene allows for streaming services, and therefore, the
freedom has changed. Composers can say more without being silenced, and this is due to the
internets power. Rachel says that songwriters often have two choices: Say what everyone wants
to hear, or be unique. In her view, the role of the composer is dependent upon what they want to
do, whether it be more marketable, true to ones self, and/or both.
In the songwriting communications process, Rachel sees the role of the listener as active,
but they can also re-visit work and have different experiences every time. The active listener has
the ability to re-visit what a song meansor to view it in a more direct, explicit way (Hillman,
2017). Rachel believes that compositions can reach wider audiences in 2017 by making each
composition more relatable to the listeners. She spent a few minutes emphasizing empathy, and
how important it is for songwriters to empathize with their fans. Also, songwriters (as stated
previously) have to figure out who their audience is, and actually place (Hillman, 2017) their
composition into another persons perspective.
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Rachels definition of composition is anything thats created with human intentions, or

has human intentions tied to it (2017). She also says that composition involves using an active
perspective, getting someone to feel something, and if a songwriter does this successfully, then a
composition has been created. Overall, she says the ultimate goal is for songwriters to be
empathetic in their lyrics, and for their compositions to be understood by their audience
overtime.
During this project, Ive looked at composition from another perspective, and in this case,
it is songwriting. Tyler Denning and Rachel Hillman provided insightful feedback on their
experience with composition, and their samples illustrate their commitment to the process. I
believe this supports the notion that composition in uniquely humanand thats where the field
intersects with other activities, whether it be academic writing, basket-weaving, or making a
scrapbook.
Link to Weebly Blog: http://enc5700perspectiveproject.weebly.com/
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Works Cited

Denning, Tyler. Personal Interview. 15 March 2017.

"Fifteen Questions with David Rothenberg." Fifteen Questions. Wed. 27 Feb. 2017.

http://www.15questions.net/interview/fifteen-questions-david-rothenberg/page-1/

Haft, Steven, Peter Weir, Paul J. Witt, Tony Thomas, Tom Schulman, Robin Williams, Robert S.

Leonard, Ethan Hawke, Maurice Jarre, Josh Charles, Dylan Kussman, Allelon Ruggiero,

James Waterston, Alexandra Powers, Kurtwood Smith, Leon Pownall, and John Seale.

Dead Poets Society. Burbank, Calif: Touchstone Home Entertainment, 1989.

Hillman, Rachel. Personal Interview. 17 March 2017.

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Reflection for Portfolio 04-03-2017

1.) What is the artifact within the larger context of the course/experience?

My PERSPECTIVE project reflects on an important experience, which is interacting with the

composing process outside of our academic coursework. It demonstrates that composition is a
field that extends beyond academic writing, and in this case, its an important step in the area of
songwriting. Before completing this project, I didnt often think about composition in fields
beyond academic writing. As someone who had written songs before, combined the words with
music, and even recorded, I knew there was a process. However, it was difficult to view
songwriting as similar to composition research in rigorous, academic settings. Rachel Hillman
and Tyler Denning, however, proved that composition can be just as rigorous and challenging in
songwriting. Songwriters have to be empathetic, make choices between originality and what
sells, and create something thats not exclusive to their own lives (Hillman, 2017). Overall, this
artifact is a personal reminderfor my future studiesthat composition is a dynamic, but
delicate field that is often dependent on a composers intentions.

2.) So what, or why was this a meaningful learning experience?

This was a meaningful learning experience because I learned about composition from the
perspective of two talented composers. I also admire songwriters, so having the opportunity to
interview Rachel and Tyler was a great opportunity. This was also a meaningful experience
because Ive never conducted a formal conversation about composition with another person
(outside of class). As a researcher, this is likely completed sometimes because those perspectives
have to be brought into certain discourses. This artifact is also meaningful because I used digital
resources to enhance the project.

3.) Now what, or what do I need to know or do for the learning that lies ahead?

In the future, I must continue researching composition and making connections to projects like
my PERSPECTIVE. Just because Rachel and Tyler do not conduct scholarly composition
research doesnt mean their work isnt important. Rice (2016) says that rhetorically-grounded
education can mean something more than learning how to decode elements, analyze texts, and
thinking about public circulations of rhetoric (p. 22). I think Tyler and Rachel, as songwriters,
are good representations of composers who are outside of these public circulations. They are
dynamic, empathetic, and reflective during the composition process and beyond. As a novice
student in this field, I view these three traits as important characteristics of quality writing (this
may change overtime).