B-Rad Radio Podcast Release: Songs in the Key of Wonder

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC |  In this podcast, students in Michael Wimberly's Songs in the Key of Wonder course will air their final projects.

B-Rad Radio Podcast Release:
Songs in the Key of Wonder - Final Projects Showcase
Listen at benningtonradio.com

Songs in the Key of Wonder is a songwriting seminar, taught by Michael Wimberly, and based on the classic 1976 release “Songs in the Key of Life” by Stevie Wonder. Students listen to select tracks while learning the melodies and chord progressions that Mr. Wonder used in composing this landmark album. Students also listen to several of Mr. Wonder’s multiple hit songs from his extended discography. We dissect and analyze the music using theory and form and analysis while paying special attention to the arranging that was used in his recordings and performances. We also look at other contemporary artists influenced by Mr. Wonder’s style such as, Prince, Michael Jackson, D’Angelo, Musiq Soulchild, Erykah Badu, and Janelle Monáe, to name a few. By the second half of the term, students have used these progressions to create and arrange their own original songs and compositions in the style of Stevie Wonder.