For most songwriters in the early stages of their careers, the idea of being hired as a staff songwriter for a publishing company is close to the Holy Grail. It represents that most coveted prize of industry recognition and validation of your talent along with a gateway to cuts, movie placements and any one of a number of other exciting possibilities. However, keep in mind that wanting or entering into a relationship with a publisher in order to simply validate your talent is probably not the best approach.

Children’s singer-songwriter and Parent’s Choice Award winner Andrea “Dre” Towey writes and performs music that resonates with children of all ages as it touches a wide range of subjects, from the dog across the street to the harrowing experience of losing a balloon. A former elementary school teacher and art educator, Dre “unleashed” her first solo album, “Chester The Dog” in 2006. Her award-winning follow up recording, “Sugar On Top”, was released in 2008. Dre shares her thoughts on writing, recording and performing children’s music in the email interview below. Learn more about Dre Towey at www.litteloomis.com

A lot of people come to Serve The Song looking for songwriting templates, so I’ve put together another one. My first GarageBand songwriting template was built using basic song forms. This new template uses very basic music theory featuring simple I, IV and V chords along with ii and vi minor.

In Part 1 of our exclusive interview with TAXI founder and CEO Michael Laskow, Michael shared his insights about current opportunities for songwriters and the best way to get your music heard by the right people. In Part 2 Michael gives advice on how to work with TAXI and the work ethic needed to compete in today’s marketplace.