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Keep coming back to this thread.  Really liked the idea and hope to hear about the next offering, or something similar.  Asynchronous would make it possible.  I'm sure just watching some tutorials would be helpful.  However, this in-depth approach would pretty much cover everything.  Maybe next time...

Hello Erin , 
 
I had to look up the word Asynchronous ….Yes , I think I know exactly what you mean .
 
Currently that's the way I'm working it over here w this course … 
 
This time out I'm not looking for a grade ….
 
Most of what I have learned about music production has been from personal trial and error , the internet and music forums .
After watching many of the video lessons from the course ,  I realized there are a lot of things I could be doing differently and a lot better in my music productions ….
 
at the very least I do have a better idea of what I need to work on and get better at .
 
all the best ,
 
Kenny 
 

Thanks, Kenny.
 
I do have a project coming up that is going to include live audio recording to a digital device.  I've got a few ideas for the software I want to use, but like you, most of my knowledge-base is from experience.  In which, I've been the videographer most of the time in projects and need more audio savvy. 
 
Of course, that comes with the practice.  However, I am looking for a formal training like what you shared with Coursera.  I will be looking forward to the next time it will be offered.  In the meantime, I may take you up on that offer to just shoot out some specific questions and let the experts tell me their best practices.  I am really digging the new way to learn things.  Have been a student and instructor, and am now a life-long learner with creative passions that keep me moving on the learning curve.  Love the digital offerings and feel like Cake Walk was a good find for me. 
 
Thanks for all the feedback...it sure helps with the isolation that comes from Cyber-schooling:-)
-Erin

I signed up for both of these courses, so will give feedback to those who are interested. (There are MANY courses on Coursera.org alone... and others on Futurelearn.com, but I will speak only to these two specifically).
 
First, I had no real expectations going in, but was actually incredibly disappointed with the "Songwriting" course. I had assumed some music theory (even any music theory) would be involved, but it came across as "glorified poetry" to me. As I have taught college English, I was annoyed that I was sitting through long-winded poetry lectures that I could have taught in 1/10th the time. Ironically, someone (who apparently camps out in each class' forums) dropped the entire course note set in one post, and another with "links from past classes" during week 2. That was enough for me to download them and un-enroll. In hindsight, I wish I had known the true content of this class before it started. Perhaps someone who participated in this one fully can chime in with their impression.
 
Introduction to Music Production on the other hand, is loaded with nice information. The lectures are succinct (and can be downloaded), and the forums dropped a lot of good information as well. The class can be audited for certain, and a lot of learning can be had even not taking this "for grade." The assignments were many people's complaints, but I took the perspective of challenging myself to also learn video, since many posted these assignments on YouTube. So from that perspective, I learned a lot more than simply the "content" of the course. Introduction to Music Production also has a lot of applicable content to posts that appear in this forum. Participation in the forums (there) is highly advised if taken, as a lot of useful information is also passed on in those (upwards to the same level as the lecture content in my opinion).
 
 

I took the Songwriting course as well.  Not having the same background as Mettelus, I thought it was a good presentation of material that is found in the instructors' books.  I would not call it a glorified poetry class as the last half of the class got into setting the lyrics to music, stable and unstable tones (there was a tiny bit of music theory involved with this) and front heavy/back heavy and strong/weak bar phrasing.
 
The course did not cover harmony which is probably the one topic in which I was hoping to be covered.
 
One other thing about the course, if you go into it focusing on a score or a grade, you might be disappointed.  The majority of the score is based on peer review assessments which can be sketchy.  If you are looking to just improve your songwriting (lyric, setting and phrasing) it can be a useful course.
 
Mettelus, the course you might be looking for is writing lyrics to music which is offered by Berklee, but I don't know if its a free coursera course or not.

Thanks for the input. I am actually more interested in music theory and its application to song development. I tend to develop songs around lyrical content and singing a cappella to develop the "backbone" then often run off to a dark corner with a guitar to work on other pieces. I have never had any "formal training" of any kind in music theory, so I feel this is my biggest "gap." My background is very "hard core" engineering, and even the college I went to had only one book on Music Theory (copyrighted 1906 - no joke). I often feel like I am a leper of sorts when I work on music, since it always comes as a "big surprise" to people I know when they find out that part about me (sort of sad actually).

Based on what you wrote above, I think there is also an Introduction to Music Theory course as well.  That might fit the bill.

Thank you. I just went through there listing and found two in there.
 
Fundamentals of Music Theory (https://www.coursera.org/course/musictheory) that you mentioned, starts July, and also Developing Your Musicianship (https://www.coursera.org/course/musicianship) which starts on April 1st (13 days). I just signed up for both of these. They seems similar in some respects and different in others, so is worth checking into.
 
Thanks again!