Using Jungian Archetypes in Contemporary Songwriting Education

Archetypes are character prototypes, which manifest, often unconsciously, in cultures around the world. They are now being used consciously in creative industries (including screenplay writing and advertising). In this article I explore how they may manifest unconsciously in contemporary popular songwriting, and describe how I have used them creatively and consciously in teaching songwriting to undergraduate students. I intend to illustrate that archetypes serve successfully in teaching songwriting students how to access creative stimulus, as the metaphorical nature of archetypes often enables students to see things differently and create songs accordingly that feel satisfying and authentic to them. This works best as an emotional, rather than an entirely intellectual, exercise.