Resource: Make Pop Music
I recently stumbled upon a fantastic YouTube Channel and website called Make Pop Music. It is a perfect resource for any music teacher that is looking to incorporate songwriting into a popular music curriculum. The site and channel were founded by Austin Hull. Originally a metal producer, Austin’s love for pop music led him to create a Facebook group in 2014, which has since grown into Make Pop Music with over 30,000 members and 200,000 YouTube subscribers. The platform offers resources like sample packs, courses, and tutorials, filling a gap in education for underground pop. While there is plenty of stuff to buy from his website, I think his YouTube videos are REALLY good and will inspire students - especially as he focuses on how to make songs that sound like many of their favorite artists. For example, here is a 40-minute video that shows how to write a song in the style of Ariana Grande:
Pretty cool, huh? I like Austin’s unique blend of a really laid back personality combined with a DEEP understanding of music. He really knows his stuff - from both a music production standpoint, but also a extensive knowledge of music theory and songwriting techniques. Here is another video on how to write music in the style of Taylor Swift:
I really think that these videos are PERFECT for students - specifically high schools students who might have a little more music knowledge under their belts. He doesn’t use any explicit language (at least I couldn’t find any), and his approach and the details he provides will really resonate with students. And now with AI tools that allow you to submit a YouTube link and then the AI tool will generate assessments based on the videos (Magic School does this, as well as most of the GPT tools).
In addition to all of the free videos that Austin puts out on YouTube, he makes his money by selling Sample Packs, Synth Presets, MIDI Packs, and Courses. He also has a podcast titled The Sound Table. I really love what Austin has put together here - especially as it takes him TONS of time to put each of his videos together. Even if you don’t actually share the videos with your students, but instead use them to help you better understand the structure and production techniques of pop songs so that you can then help teach your own students, I really think you should bookmark this site today and support his efforts.
I will leave with one last video which is about how you can produce music just like Pharrell. I really love how he dives right into his DAW (Austin uses Cubase) and shows you exactly how to manipulate audio, tracks, effects, etc. Really interesting to watch - no matter what artist or technique he is covering. Enjoy!