Hall of Fame songwriter Desmond Child, responsible for over 70 top 40 singles including Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” Aerosmith’s “Dude Looks Like a Lady,” and Katy Perry’s “Waking up in Vegas,” will teach a series of Masterclass Songwriting Workshops at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

Famed Hitmaker Desmond Child To Host Songwriting Masterclass
Songwriter Desmond Child - whose hits include "Living on a Prayer," "Dude Looks Like a Lady," and "Waking up in Vegas" - to teach songwriting masterclass at the Clive Davis Institute.

Child, who will serve as Songwriter In Residence at the Clive Davis Institute during the Fall 2013 semester, will lead eight hands-on sessions, working with small groups of students to help them hone their songwriting skills in lyric writing, music composition, song structure, and music theory for songwriters. Grammy-award-winning songwriter Jesse Harris, whose song recorded by Norah Jones, “Don’t Know Why,” won the 2003 Grammy Award for Song of the Year, will follow in Child’s steps in the Spring for four sessions.

“There are few people on the planet who have achieved anywhere near Desmond’s success or longevity in being able deliver hits for a wide variety of popular artists, so we’re very excited to welcome him to the NYU Recorded Music community,” said Jeffrey Rabhan, Chair of the NYU Tisch Clive Davis Institute. “Together with Jesse Harris, our students will have a great opportunity to learn what constitutes successful songwriting from two people with undisputed range and ability, as well as a dedication to helping the next generation.”

To kick off his tenure as Songwriter in Residence, Desmond Child will host a special lecture on Thursday, September 19, 2013. As part of the program, Desmond will discuss the joys and pitfalls of being a popular artist, the process of writing material for others, and analyze the elements of success for today’s popular music. The event will be moderated by NYU Adjunct Professor Eren Cannata, and will also include a Q&A for student participants.

About Desmond Child
Grammy winning songwriter / producer, Desmond Child is one of music's most accomplished hit-makers having written and/or produced over 70 Top 40 singles with 300 million albums sold worldwide with a music career spanning over four decades. In 2008, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame and serves on its Board Of Directors. He is also the Chairman / CEO of the Latin Songwriters Hall Of Fame founded in 2012. Child's collaborations include: Bon Jovi - "Livin' On A Prayer" & “You Give Love A Bad Name,” Katy Perry - "Waking Up In Vegas," Aerosmith - "Dude Looks Like A Lady" & “Angel,” KISS - "I Was Made For Lovin' You" & “Heaven’s On Fire,” Ricky Martin - "Livin' La Vida Loca," Michael Bolton – “How Can We Be Lovers,” Alice Cooper “Poison,” Kelly Clarkson - "Before Your Love," Clay Aiken – “Invisible,” Carrie Underwood - "Inside Your Heaven," Garth Brooks & Tricia Yearwood - "Where Your Road Leads," Cher - "Just Like Jesse James" & “We All Sleep Alone,” Joan Jett - “I Hate Myself For Lovin’ You,” which is also the "Theme Song for NBC’s Sunday Night Football."

About the NYU Tisch Clive Davis Institute
The Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music is the first of its kind to provide professional business and artistic training toward a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. The undergraduate program focuses on providing professional training for students who aspire to succeed as creative entrepreneurs in the music industry. The program bears the name of its chief patron and advisor, Clive Davis.

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