At nine o'clock, the auditorium was already packed. School leaders and teachers were all seated, and the host of the school gala was already warming up the audience on stage. Fang Yang sat next to Principal Ma Donglai.

"How are you feeling? Nervous?"

"It's alright. Although I've never taught at school, I did prepare beforehand, and it wasn't a formal course, so as long as I could express my thoughts, it was fine!"

"Yes, you're right. The point of lecturing is to express your ideas clearly and effectively, so that the audience benefits. That's what makes a successful lecture. The biggest difference between adult education and compulsory education is that it's about moving away from rote learning. Giving people valuable insights is the beginning of success!"

"The principal is right. He truly is a guiding light who has dedicated his life to education!"

"What are you saying, you brat? Alright, I'm calling you up on stage. Go up and give your junior brothers and sisters a proper lesson!"

Fang Yang looked at the stage and, sure enough, the host was already introducing some of Fang Yang's achievements. The teaching computer was already connected to the power supply, and all that was needed was for Fang Yang to plug in the USB drive so that the class could officially begin.

Straightening his clothes, Fang Yang strode confidently onto the platform. "Respected leaders, teachers, and students, good morning! I am Fang Yang. Today, I will be sharing my insights on song composition for your reference!"

Fang Yang glanced at the thousands of people filling the auditorium. “There are people from the instrumental music department, the vocal music department, the composition department, and the folk music department. No matter which department you come from, it’s always good to be able to create your own music. So, how do you create music?”

"Ask different songwriters about this question, and they may give you completely different answers. This is because there is no single right way to create a song; as with any creative process, there can be a lot of differences between artists."

"If you're just starting out with songwriting, the best way is to write as many songs as possible. At some point, you'll find a way that works for you, you'll find your own steps and how to keep the inspiration flowing."

"In my opinion, every great song starts with an idea. Maybe it's a title, a concept, a lyric, or a melody. So, we need to keep a notebook with us and write these things down whenever we feel like it. Over the years, you can accumulate a lot of fragments of inspiration until one day, these fragments connect to form a complete work."

Seeing the audience go from whispering to complete silence, Fang Yang smiled, a hint of pride in being a teacher in his eyes.

"Sometimes you want to sit down and brainstorm, but many creators share their experiences and tell us that their inspiration often comes unexpectedly – ​​for example, on the way to a meeting, while washing dishes, or in the shower. Have you ever felt that the more you try to create, the less you create? On the contrary, you are more likely to have a burst of inspiration when you are not thinking about it, and come up with one brilliant idea after another that makes people applaud!"

Looking at the students below the stage who were listening attentively and some of them were even taking notes, Fang Yang felt a sense of relief. He was able to share his thoughts with others and gain their recognition; one can imagine the joy he felt inside.

"Ideas can come from anywhere – things you hear, read, see, remember, or experience. They can come from other songs, movies, books, artwork, or conversations."

Fang Yang spoke fluently and confidently, showing no signs of nervousness as if it were his first time giving a lecture. Even though the people sitting in the front row were all veteran educators with decades of experience, he didn't back down at all.

"The key is to be ready to write them down when they come to mind. Carry a notebook with you or use a note-taking app on your phone to jot down the song titles or lyrics. If a melody comes to mind, you can use your phone's voice memos to write it down."

"When you finally sit down to write a song, no one can guarantee that you'll have inspiration today. But the good news is that you always have a ton of ideas to try. While not all of them are worth writing into a song, you're sure to find something useful."

At this point, Fang Yang looked at the silent crowd below the stage and said, "Here's a suggestion: never, ever force yourself to write songs, and never limit yourself to writing songs within a certain scope. Before you have the ability to write songs freely, follow your heart's desire to write songs. Over time, you will eventually have a breakthrough."

"If you can't naturally come up with ideas, or if you don't have anything in your head, then you can try creative challenges or get hints. They will bring some rules to your work; without them, blindly following a song direction will overwhelm you."

At this point, some observant people in the audience noticed that Fang Yang was lecturing entirely without notes, and didn't even have a USB drive plugged in. He was lecturing based entirely on what he thought in his head, which was quite impressive!

Fang Yang was still lecturing on stage, saying, "Here are some songwriting tips you can try:"

Write a song about childhood.

Write about your best friend

Write about a past romance

Write down the kind of relationship you desire.

Write something to my younger self

Write something for your future self.

Write down your reaction to your favorite song.

Write about the social issues you care about.

Write down your dreams

Wait, wait, wait.

Fang Yang's throat was a little dry from talking, so he picked up the teacup on the table and drank some water, while also taking the opportunity to organize his thoughts.

"Whatever you write, you must follow your heart and write down your true thoughts. Have you ever heard the saying, 'Where the heart leads, the mind will follow'?"

Fang Yang glanced at the audience and, seeing that no one intended to stand up and explain, did not force them and continued his speech, "It means that when you have someone you admire or a direction to move forward in your heart, your emotions will naturally flow towards that person, or you will do your best to move towards your goal."

"Interest is the greatest driving force. Your work is the most genuine expression of your emotions. Works without emotion have no soul. Ask yourself, if your work cannot even move you, how can it move others?"

"So I suggest that those of you who are interested in writing songs should experience more of life. This life does not refer to our ordinary life of going through the same few hours every day, but a life full of highlights."

"For example, if you want to write a song about parting, there are many kinds of parting: lovers parting, friends parting, classmates parting, brothers parting, fathers and sons, relatives parting, and so on."

"Take the parting of classmates for example. Everyone here has experienced it. If you don't remember, you can stand at the school gate every year when the graduates leave school. You must have seen the most real parting scene. Think about the four years you spent with your classmates. Every scene and painting on campus is a memory. If you string together these scenes, maybe the next campus farewell anthem will be written by you!"

At this point, Fang Yang looked at the crowd below the stage laughing loudly and smiled as well. In his previous life, many campus hit songs were strung together by such ordinary yet picturesque scenes. Unfortunately, most people only knew how to take pictures to preserve them, but did not know how to compose them with musical notes!