STORYTELLER’S WORKSHOP
Lyric Writing Masterclass with Monday Michiru
Create Your Voice Through Lyrics and Unveil Your Unwritten Stories.
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What are lyrics?
Lyrics are words placed on top of melodies which singers use to convey and communicate a feeling, a thought, a philosophy, a story.
As a lyricist, you are the storyteller.
And as the writer, you are your first audience.
What is your story? What are your thoughts? Who are you singing to? What do you want the listener to feel and take away from your lyrics?
Fun
Nostalgia
Sadness
Anger
Love
Philosophy
Political/Social Commentary
These are but some of the feelings and thoughts that can come from lyrics.
But beyond the expression communicated behind the words, these words need to fit over the melody and marry into not only the melody, but the harmony, the rhythm, and the overall song. The flow of the lyrics over the melody and music help to convey the message to the audience, and the draw them into your story.
Everyone has a story. What’s yours? Let me help you create lyrics that are as original as you are.
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4 weekly sessions:
11/4, 11/12, 11/18, 11/25
7pm - 9pm
Shetler Studios & Theatres
244 W. 54th Street, 12th Floor, New York NY
(between Broadway & 8th Ave)
plus...
Showcase "Lyricist Lounge" (optional):
Sunday, 12/8/2019
3pm
Club Bonafide, NYC
Fee: $200 (4 sessions & Showcase) or $50 per class
[Registration] Email or Call us!
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 917-400-9362
[Payment Method]
Cash/Check/Credit card/ PayPal
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MONDAY MICHIRU SONGWRITING/LYRICIST BIO
Growing up as the daughter of legendary jazz musicians Toshiko Akiyoshi, Charlie Mariano, and also stepfather Lew Tabackin, Monday picked up the flute studying classically until her graduation from Interlochen Arts Academy, where she discovered and fostered another instrument, her voice.
As a child of the ‘70s and ‘80s, Monday was exposed to U.S. top 40 radio stations filled with a cross of genres. If the saying is true that “you are what you eat,” Monday’s early inspirations were a conglomeration of “you are what you hear” which she drew on as she gravitated towards songwriting and formulating her own unique style. Her first break as a lyricist came in 1987 co-writing the song and lyrics over the end credits for the film “Hunk” sang by Quincy Jones’ daughter Jolie Jones; she officially caught the writing bug. With a move to Japan later the same year after being offered the lead role in a movie depicting an opera singer (“Hikaru Onna” for which she won Best New Actress from Japan Film Academy, Kinema Junpo and Yokohama Film Festival), Monday was signed to Kitty Films, a management company which also had a division for music artists and its own recording label. Always looking for opportunities in music, Monday was asked to write lyrics in English for several of Kitty’s artists (Piccaso, The Amazons, etc.), wrote and sang two themes to the hit anime “Legend of the Galactic Heroes,” lyrics for songs in a TV series which aired throughout Europe, etc.
From her debut solo album in 1991 to present day, Monday has shown her songwriting skills over and over again with hits that have topped the charts not only in Japan, but throughout Europe, particularly in the underground club scene. Her collaborations have run the gamut, writing and working with DJ Krush, Mondo Grosso, United Future Organization, Kyoto Jazz Massive, Basement Jaxx, UA, Masters At Work, Joe Clausell, Lisa Ono, Da Lata, m-flo, Jazztronik, Shinichi Osawa, Soulfeenix, P'taah, Jephte Guillaume, Louie Vega, Steal Vybe, Alex Sipiagin, etc. The remix of Monday’s spoken word collaboration with Mondo Grosso, “Star Suite,” is still considering a cult classic amongst deep house music lovers. Monday has also translated into English works by Milton Nacimento, Jazztronik, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and others, and was also commissioned to write a song for Starbucks launching a new line of coffee for the Japanese market. While Monday's name has become synonymous with the 90s Japanese underground scene, even earning her the title "acid jazz diva” of Japan as one of its pioneers, one only needs to explore her vast collection of works to hear the musical development over the years in which she has crossed over and beyond the scope of club music to a style that is diversified and undeniably hers; Monday is the rare female singer/songwriter who also produces her own works.
In 2000, Monday moved back to New York to start a family while still continuing to record and tour, both in the U.S. and internationally. With the maturation of age, Monday’s sonic style has softened to an acoustic counter-part to her earlier works, with a vocal approach that is more instrumental than the traditional role of a singer, and her lyrics, which earlier on tackled themes involving feminist and Asian issues, have taken on a more philosophical and reflective slant. “I believe in the relevance and meaning of expressing where I’m at now, while also finding themes that connect us.” Recent works have included those with her mother, first releasing the single “Hope” in 2006, which was the ending piece of Akiyoshi’s epic suite “Hiroshima: Rising From the Abyss” — the Japanese lyrics were written by Shuntaro Tanikawa, which Monday translated into English. And in 2015, the mother and daughter duet album “Jazz Conversations: The Other Side of Monday Michiru” was released in Japan for which Monday wrote lyrics to two of Akiyoshi’s original compositions and a composition by her step-father Tabackin, as well as also composing original works for the project.
Monday currently resides in New York, and continues to record and perform worldwide with her own group as well as collaborating with other artists. She is plotting her next musical adventure.
Press Quotes:
“…she’s got that certain crossover appeal that is fluent in urban R&B, contemporary jazz, rock and infectious Brazlian rhythms, resulting in music that’s not easily categorized, yet is thoroughly engaging.”
— All About Jazz
“At a time when music is in a state of flux mostly as a result of the virtual collision of idioms and metaphors, it is a joy to hear the voice of Monday Michiru.”
— Latin Jazz Network
“Michiru has been able to parlay her pedigree into a significant career of her own, staking a place within jazz as singer and composer crafting danceable but artistically significant Brazilian flavored acid-jazz and soul with an underground flair…Multi-talented with a lot to show for it, Monday Michiru’s lack of any commercial success in the American market is a bit baffling and the uncompromising Soulception likely won’t break her into it. But that’s on us Americans, not her. The few Yanks who will find this record are likely to consider themselves lucky that they did.”
— Something Else
“Michiru’s highly polished voice is as born to the intricate rhythms and soulful possibilities of the jazz idiom as Ella Fitzerald’s or Dionne Warwick’s, but taps into the Brazilian sultriness of Bebel Gilberto and Gal Costa.”
— Daily OM
“A small, beautiful woman with endless power.”
— Jazz Dimensions
“Monday’s always had an expressive voice, but she really knocks it out of the park here, working so many different inflections, twists and turns into her lyrics…(she’s) always been a rare breed!”
— Dusty Groove, Chicago
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Produced by Monday Michiru & FoSn - Forest of Swingin' Notes
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