KTSW Loves: Songwriting Society

By Mark Aceves

Promotions Team Member

If you passed by room 214 of the Music Building on campus, you would never expect its humble walls to house the future of music at Texas State. With members’ practiced genres ranging from folk to hip-hop, Songwriting Society is open to all creatives. Functionally, Songwriting Society is a catch-all club for anyone looking to practice, discuss and perform music. Although a lot of its members play the guitar, other forms of music are embraced (even digital).  The club aims to provide a safe haven for the creation and performance of music and the practice of the skills required to make it.

An average meeting at Songwriting Society includes President Richard Prasedyoko “[inspiring] members with the weekly activity” to reach new bounds in their songwriting ability. The weekly activity also allows collaborative songwriting skills to be practiced. More times than not, the songwriters will either write a song with other people, or they will share what they have  written to be critiqued by the other songwriters. Finally, at the end of a meeting, there is a sharing period in which people may share their own music they have  made outside of the club. That said, there is no requirement to have prior musical experience or be a specific major.  Richard notes that he himself is a film major and does not  believe himself to be the best songwriter in the club. Many members who were in the club during the Spring 2023 semester started out with no songwriting experience and ended the semester having created multiple songs.

According to Richard, the glue that keeps Songwriting Society together is its members. He believes that if members were not  as “passionate as they are” the club would be so much less. This sense of community is at the core of Songwriting Society as its members constantly collaborate in and outside of the club. Since the Spring 2023 semester, Songwriting Society has had five performances, four of which were off campus. These performances emphasize the communal aspect of Songwriting Society as many people in the audience are members themselves or are friends/family of members. It’s like a big musical party at a Songwriting Society performance. Although Richard noted that their most recent performance had a noticeable number of strangers in the crowd, or as I like to call them: future club members.

Looking to the future, President Richard Prasedyoko plans to have “one show a month, or even more” showing off the club members’ songs. He believes that performances “grow members’ musicianship and songwriting skill” and provide a platform that individual musicians didn’t have before the club. On top of that, performances provide visibility for the club and its members, which is something he believes is important for its success moving forward. With a homely feeling and friendly folk, Songwriting Society is the place to be for any musician looking to evolve their musicianship. The activities give them the skills they need to create songs that they then perform to a community ready to embrace their art.

Website: https://linktr.ee/txstsongwriting

Instagram: @txstsongwriting