New course announcement!
From Backstreet Boys to One Direction, Boyz II Men to BTS, “boy band” music has been some of the most commercially successful in history — and yet, it has largely gone unstudied by musicians and music lovers alike.
Despite its supposedly saccharine melodies and uncomplicated lyrics (we question that), this music has touched billions of listeners around the world, leaving them with strong emotional experiences of hope, nostalgia, passion, and more, time and time again. What makes this music so darn effective?
Enter… The Music of Boy Bands. Soundfly’s brand new short course is a digestible deep-dive that is at once both fun and factual, whimsical and analytical, and chock full of useful tips that any pop-oriented songwriter or producer can immediately put to use.
In her first subscriber-only short course, instructor Mahea Lee, breaks down how the various elements such as lyrics, melody, chords, production, and arrangement come together to produce a style of music that is can be as surprising as it is familiar. We’ll critically explore who is considered the first modern boy band, how to define the differences between boy band music and straightforward pop, and which way the Backstreet Boys actually even want “it.”
But we’ll also take it one step further, seeking lessons from deep within the song banks of *NSYNC, One Direction, and Backstreet Boys to draw out inspiration to help us improve our own songwriting and production skills.
This course is meant to be fun, quick, and inspiring, with plenty of surprising discoveries and practical exercises along the way. So quit playing games and try it out!
The course is taught by Soundfly’s in-house producer, Mahea Lee, but we’ll also hear from the internet’s resident expert in the subject, music journalist, culture critic, and author of Larger Than Life: A History of Boy Bands from NKOTB to BTS, Maria Sherman, as well as in-house analysts Martin D. Fowler and Carter Lee, the host of Soundfly’s Themes and Variation podcast.
Here’s what else you can expect to accomplish in the course:
Learn more and preview a full lesson in The Music of Boy Bands today!
Meet Your Instructor
Mahea is an educator, composer, and pianist with a deep passion for the way music helps us better understand ourselves and each other. She started studying piano and theory as a toddler, and started teaching music while in middle school. Since then, she has worked as a composer, arranger, lyricist, music director, performer, producer, and educator. In addition to being a mentor, she’s Soundfly’s VP of Learning and Curriculum Development. Mahea attended Berklee College of Music, where she majored in Contemporary Writing and Production and minored in theory.
In her last semester at Berklee, her advanced harmonic concepts instructor told her that “… any chord can move to any chord, as long as you know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.” That idea really resonated with her, strengthening her belief that the desire to understand one’s artistic intentions should be at the core of the creation process.
Mahea teaches her students to approach theory and analysis in a practical way, using them as tools to better articulate what they’re trying to say with their music.
How does a Soundfly course work?
Great question! We offer two ways to experience our courses: on your own with an all-access subscription or with personalized coaching from a Soundfly Mentor.
It costs as little as $19 per month to subscribe to Soundfly. And with your subscription, you’ll get unlimited access to all of the premium course content on Soundfly.com, including this course, to go through at your own pace. This includes all the videos, tutorials, demos, quizzes, activities, downloads, and other materials that make our online courses one of a kind!
But that’s not all, subscribers receive an invite to join our private community Slack channel, exclusive perks from partner brands, and exclusive access to livestreams, office hours, and contests. Plus, you’ll be entitled to a 25% discount on custom mentorship sessions.
If you’d like personalized guidance, feedback, and support from a professional as you go through the course material, you can do that with one of our incredible Soundfly Mentors. Simply subscribe, and fill out a Mentorship Interest Form (found inside all our courses), or head here to learn more about what custom mentorship entails and to get in touch with us directly.
Are you ready?
Let’s get you signed up, so you can start learning how to turn your childhood pop obsession into actionable songwriting and production skills!
