My education through Monthly, now known as Studio, became an important part of how I approached songwriting and music production. The courses were not simply about learning songwriting techniques or production techniques separately. A major part of the experience was learning how to write and produce a song at the same time, developing the composition and production together.

I eventually took more than 100 courses through the platform. Because I was able to refer people to the website through my YouTube channel and receive credits for additional courses, I had the opportunity to explore a very wide range of instructors and approaches. While many of the instructors were less well known, the sheer variety of courses gave me exposure to different songwriting, production, arrangement, recording, and creative techniques.

Ryan Tedder — Songwriting and Production

One of the first major courses I took was taught by Ryan Tedder. The course combined songwriting and music production, with the idea that the song should be developed and produced as it was being written rather than treating songwriting and production as completely separate stages.

During the course, I wrote the song “No More.” The song later became the subject of Song Stories Episode 2, where I documented more of its history and development.

The course reinforced the idea that production can be part of the songwriting process itself. Decisions about sounds, arrangement, structure, instrumentation, and the overall production can help shape the song while the composition is still developing.

Related Work

• No More feat. Liel Bar-Z — The original production of the song developed during the Ryan Tedder course.
• Song Stories Episode 2 — The story behind the song and how it developed.
• No More — AI Version — A later AI recreation/adaptation of the song, connecting the original songwriting and production with my later AI-assisted music work.

Charlie Puth — Songwriting and Production

I also took Charlie Puth’s course, which similarly combined songwriting and production. The goal was to develop the song while simultaneously working on its production, rather than writing a finished song first and only producing it afterward.

During the course, I wrote “Never Gonna Let You Go.”

The experience gave me another perspective on the relationship between composition and production and showed how production decisions can become part of the creative writing process itself.

Kygo — Song Production

The Kygo course was more focused on song production than songwriting. Instead of primarily writing original songs from scratch, I worked with provided vocal tracks and built productions around them.

I produced three songs during the course:

• “Let Me Know”
• “Reflection”
• “Until Midnight”

It was during this course that I discovered the vocalist Liel Bar-Z. I later worked with and layered Liel’s vocals on several of my own songs, including “No More,” “Could’ve Been So Easy,” and “Beautiful Day, Beautiful Life.”

The Kygo course therefore had an impact beyond the individual exercises. It introduced me to a vocalist whose performances eventually became part of several of my own productions.

Producing With Only Logic Pro Stock Plugins

As part of my work during the Kygo course, I also documented the process of building a track around a vocal track using only the stock plugins included with Logic Pro.

The purpose was to see how far I could take a professional-sounding production without relying on third-party plugins. Although the final version of the song eventually used some additional plugins, the experiment demonstrated how much can be accomplished using Logic Pro’s built-in production tools.

The process was documented in my video “Can You Make a Pro Song with ONLY Logic Plugins? I Put It to the Test!”

Andrew Huang — Production and Creative Experimentation

Another course I took was taught by Andrew Huang. This course focused primarily on music production and creative experimentation rather than traditional songwriting.

The tracks we created were mostly instrumental, with some vocal samples incorporated into the productions. One of the exercises involved sampling objects from our own environment and turning those sounds into material for a track.

Two of the songs I produced during the course were:

• “I Remember That”
• “What Did It Say?”

The course encouraged experimentation with sound sources and demonstrated how everyday sounds and unconventional recording techniques can become part of a musical production.

H.E.R. — Songwriting

I also took the H.E.R. course, which was focused specifically on songwriting rather than music production.

During that course, however, I wrote and produced the song “One and Only.” Although production was not the primary focus of the class, I applied the songwriting concepts to my own production process and developed the complete song.

Louis Bell — Songwriting and Production

I also took the Louis Bell course, which combined songwriting and music production, with the goal of developing the song and its production together.

One of the things I found particularly interesting about Louis Bell’s approach was that he added the drums last. That was different from the way I might normally approach a production, where drums can often be one of the first elements established. Hearing and seeing how the song could be developed without relying on drums early in the process gave me another perspective on arrangement and production.

The course was another example of the broader approach I experienced through the platform: songwriting and production happening together rather than treating them as two completely separate processes.

More Than 100 Courses

My experience with Monthly and Studio went far beyond these better-known instructors.

Because I was able to refer people to the platform through my YouTube channel and receive credits that could be used toward additional courses, I eventually took more than 100 courses.

The instructors included a mixture of well-known artists and producers as well as many more niche or lesser-known creators.

I don’t consider every one of those courses equally significant to my musical history, but collectively they exposed me to a huge variety of approaches to:

• Songwriting
• Melody
• Lyrics
• Chord progressions
• Arrangement
• Music production
• Beat making
• Sound design
• Recording
• Vocal production
• Sampling
• Creative experimentation
• Electronic music production
• Working with existing vocal performances
• Developing complete songs from initial ideas

The sheer variety was one of the most valuable aspects of the experience.

Rather than following one single method of songwriting or production, I was able to see how many different musicians approached the creative process.

What I Took Away From the Courses

The biggest value of the Monthly and Studio courses was not necessarily any single technique.

It was the opportunity to learn a concept and immediately put it into practice.

Instead of simply watching a lesson about songwriting, I could write a song.

Instead of watching a producer explain arrangement, I could build a track.

Instead of learning about sampling in theory, I could sample something in my own environment and turn it into music.

And instead of simply studying someone else’s production techniques, I could take the idea and see how it worked within my own workflow in Logic Pro.

Some of the songs created through these courses eventually became independent pieces of my musical catalog, while other ideas led to additional experiments, videos, and productions.

From Education to My Own Music

Looking back, the courses became another part of my broader musical education.

My early education had come largely through music technology magazines such as Future Music, Computer Music, and Music Tech, along with their sample CDs and DVDs.

Later, online courses gave me a completely different type of learning environment.

The magazines gave me technical information, tutorials, samples, and production resources.

The online courses gave me direct insight into the creative processes of individual songwriters and producers—and, importantly, gave me structured projects that forced me to actually create something.

Both approaches became part of my development as a songwriter and producer.

The songs created during these courses also became part of the larger story of my music, including “No More,” “Never Gonna Let You Go,” “One and Only,” “Let Me Know,” “Reflection,” “Until Midnight,” “I Remember That,” and “What Did It Say?”

Related Music and Projects

Some of the most significant connections from these courses continued beyond the courses themselves.

The Ryan Tedder course led to “No More,” which later became the subject of Song Stories — Episode 2.

The Kygo course introduced me to the vocal work of Lyon Bar-Z, whose voice I subsequently used and layered in other productions.

The courses also gave me material and ideas that I could turn into additional YouTube videos documenting my production process, including my experiment to see how far I could take a production using only Logic Pro’s stock plugins.

For me, the courses were therefore not isolated educational exercises. They became part of an ongoing process of learning, writing, producing, experimenting, and documenting the music.

Courses and Categories

This page belongs to both of my music-education categories:

Songwriting Courses — because several of the courses focused specifically on songwriting and resulted in original songs.

Music Production Education — because other courses focused primarily on production, arrangement, sound design, sampling, and recording.

Some courses naturally fit into both categories, while others are more clearly associated with one or the other.

Notable Courses and Resulting Music

Instructor	Primary Focus	Music Created / Associated Project
Ryan Tedder	Songwriting	“No More”
Charlie Puth	Songwriting	“Never Gonna Let You Go”
Kygo	Song Production	“Let Me Know,” “Reflection,” “Until Midnight”
Andrew Huang	Production & Creative Experimentation	“I Remember That,” “What Did It Say?”
H.E.R.	Songwriting	“One and Only”

This table represents only some of the more notable courses. I took more than 100 courses through the platform, including many taught by more niche instructors.

A Continuing Education in Music

My experience with Monthly and Studio became an important chapter in my continuing education as a songwriter and music producer.

There was never a single course that taught me everything I needed to know. Instead, each course offered another perspective, another technique, another production idea, or another way of approaching a song.

Some of those lessons became songs.

Some became production experiments.

Some became YouTube videos.

And some simply became part of the accumulated knowledge I use when making music today.

The most valuable part was the combination of learning and doing—taking an idea from a lesson and immediately turning it into something of my own.

From Education to My Own Music

The value of the Monthly and Studio courses ultimately went beyond completing individual assignments. Ideas and techniques from the courses continued to show up in my own songwriting and production.

Some courses directly resulted in songs, while others influenced how I approach arrangement, sound selection, vocal production, experimentation, and the relationship between songwriting and production.

The discovery of Liel Bar-Z through the Kygo course is one example of how these educational experiences eventually connected with my own music. What began as a course exercise eventually contributed to the development of several of my own songs.

In that sense, the courses became part of the larger history of my music—not simply classes I completed, but experiences that contributed to the way I write, produce, experiment, and develop songs.

Changes to the Studio Business Model

My experience with Studio also included watching the company change its business model several times during the approximately two years that I was taking courses through the platform.

When I originally participated, the referral program was an important part of how I was able to take so many courses. By referring people to the platform through my YouTube channel, I could earn credits and use those credits toward additional courses. This eventually allowed me to take more than 100 courses, including many courses from instructors I otherwise might not have studied.

The business model changed several times during the period I was using the service. The referral program that had allowed me to earn credits is no longer offered in the same way.

I still have credits remaining from that period, but the courses and referral system have changed since I originally began using the platform.

This is worth documenting because my experience with Monthly and Studio spans a particular period in the company’s history. The platform I used when I began taking courses was not exactly the same service that existed by the time I finished, and the business model continued to evolve during those two years.

A Continuing Education in Music

My experience with Monthly and Studio represents another part of my ongoing musical education. Alongside the magazines, sample libraries, recording experience, production work, and independent experimentation that shaped my earlier development, these courses gave me the opportunity to learn directly from working artists and producers.

The most useful part was not simply learning someone’s particular method. It was taking ideas from many different creators and incorporating the ones that worked for me into my own process.

For me, that is ultimately what made the experience valuable: I wasn’t trying to copy one producer’s method. I was collecting ideas from more than 100 different courses and instructors and gradually adding the techniques that made sense for the way I wanted to write and produce music.