anyone can

WRITE music

PRODUCE music

BUILD a career in music

anyone can

WRITE music

PRODUCE music

BUILD a career in music

Featured:

Lyric Bootcamp

A 7-day crash course on Lyricism

Hi there, I'm Anthony

I'm the founder of The Melody Shop. I've been a professional musician for 15 years, first as a drummer in a jazz trio. This was before I could sing, write songs, produce music, and eventually make a full time living from music. It took me years of trial and error, copying my favorite artists, and writing and recording a lot of awful music to get to a point where I was proud of what I wrote, performing for income, and even producing music for others. Fast forward, and now I have music placed on Netflix (Perfect Match) , have written with Grammy Award-winning artists like Scott Hoying, and toured internationally multiple times with multiple bands like the Nicotine Dolls.

I'm so thankful for my life in music, but I just wished that it was more accessible to reach this point in less time, easier to understand, and more encouraging of connection rather than isolation. So I've made it a mission to make those things possible through The Melody Shop.

Anthony Cubbage, founder of The Melody Shop

Hi there, I'm Anthony

I'm the founder of The Melody Shop. I've been a professional musician for 15 years, first as a drummer in a jazz trio. This was before I could sing, write songs, produce music, and eventually make a full time living from music. It took me years of trial and error, copying my favorite artists, and writing and recording a lot of awful music to get to a point where I was proud of what I wrote, performing for income, and even producing music for others. Fast forward, and now I have music placed on Netflix (Perfect Match) , have written with Grammy Award-winning artists like Scott Hoying, and toured internationally multiple times with multiple bands like the Nicotine Dolls.

I'm so thankful for my life in music, but I just wished that it was more accessible to reach this point in less time, easier to understand, and more encouraging of connection rather than isolation. So I've made it a mission to make those things possible through The Melody Shop.

What I teach

Songwriting

Write songs whether you play an instrument or not, and learn to do it freely and efficiently

Production

Learn anything from demo-ing and arranging to professional mixing

Music Business/Life

Build a sustainable music business based on your professional and personal goals

Finding my way in the industry

You know how school teaches you that there's always a "right way" to do things? That everything has to follow rules and prerequisites? That mentality followed me straight into music, and honestly, it took me years to shake it.

When I first started writing songs, I was convinced that for something to be officially "written," it had to be actual notes on a staff. I spent countless hours hunched over notation software like Finale, transcribing every musical idea, when really - someone should have just told me that hitting record on a video camera was just as legit. But breaking through that mindset? Way harder than it should have been.

That "right way" thinking shaped everything about my early career too. In my mind, being a professional musician meant one thing: getting signed by a label. So off I went to Nashville, full of hope. But what I found instead was a city full of broken hearts in an oversaturated market.

The wake-up call came from the most unexpected place - back home in Pennsylvania. I met this friend who was a parent of triplets, making a solid living as a performer. No record deal, no Nashville dreams, just someone who figured out their own path. That's when it hit me: there wasn't just one "right way" to make money as a musician.

But here's the thing - even after that realization, I still kept falling into the same trap. I'd see other artists building their following through bands and festival circuits, so naturally, I thought that was my blueprint too. I started writing music just to please fans and my bandmates. The authenticity? It was slowly draining out of everything I created.

The real turning point came when I finally got honest with myself: my career in music didn't have to look like anyone else's. That changed everything.

I started teaching songwriting and production, and something amazing happened. Watching other artists discover they had control over how music fit into their lives - whether as a career path or just as a way to process what they're going through - that filled me with more joy than I'd felt in years.

That's exactly why The Melody Shop exists. Whether you're 15 or 75, whether music becomes your career or just your creative outlet, whether you've got all the gear or you're starting with nothing - you deserve to feel in control of the part music plays in your life. No prerequisites, no "right way," no barriers.

Because here's what I learned: creativity should be joyful. And there's always plenty of time at any stage of life to learn, grow, and discover what's right for you.

Finding my way in the industry

You know how school teaches you there's always a "right way" to do things? That mentality followed me straight into music, and it took years to shake it.

When I started writing songs, I was convinced that for something to be officially "written," it had to be actual notes on a staff. I spent countless hours in notation software when really - someone should have just told me that hitting record was just as legit.

That "right way" thinking shaped my early career too. Being a professional musician meant one thing: getting signed by a label. So off I went to Nashville, full of hope. What I found was a city full of broken hearts in an oversaturated market.

The wake-up call came from an unexpected place - back home in Pennsylvania. I met a friend who was a parent of triplets, making a solid living as a performer. No record deal, no Nashville dreams, just someone who figured out their own path. That's when it hit me: there wasn't just one "right way" to make money as a musician.

But I still kept falling into the same trap. I'd see other artists building their following through bands and festivals, so naturally, I thought that was my blueprint too. I started writing music just to please fans and bandmates. The authenticity slowly drained out of everything I created.

The real turning point came when I finally got honest: my career didn't have to look like anyone else's. I started teaching songwriting and production, and watching other artists discover they had control over how music fit into their lives filled me with more joy than I'd felt in years.

That's exactly why The Melody Shop exists. Whether you're 15 or 75, whether music becomes your career or just your creative outlet - you deserve to feel in control of the part music plays in your life. No prerequisites, no "right way," no barriers.

Because here's what I learned: creativity should be joyful. And there's always time to discover what's right for you.

10+

Years as a pro musician

5M+

Streams across platforms

700+

Performances

10+

Years as a pro musician

5M+

Streams across platforms

700+

Performances

Ways to grow

Online Courses

Affordable, structured classes that you can ta

Group and Private Lessons

Personalized instruction on your musical journey.

Click below to learn more about enrollment!

Ways to grow

Online Courses and Live Classes

Whether you prefer learning alone or with peers,

there's an option for you.

Private Lessons

Lessons are taught in monthly periods.

Click below to learn more about enrollment!

FAQs

Do you offer in-person lessons and classes?

While I'd love to offer in-person lessons and classes everywhere, currently I'm a single-person company without any in-person locations.

It's a dream to open studios for The Melody Shop, and I hope to in the future. For now, there's still a lot that can be shared via the internet through video instruction and online tools/resources.

How expensive are live classes and courses?

My first course Lyric Bootcamp, a 7-day crash course on lyricism, is available for $34. It's a course that both beginner and intermediate lyricists alike can grow from.

Do I have to play an instrument to write songs?

No! In fact, there are plenty of tools available now to build songs from scratch without knowing an instrument. The artist Avicii would actually build songs without any keyboard, drawing in notes into software.

That being said, writing songs with an instrument is fun and encouraged, especially if you already play. And if you don't play, some simple instruction is available in courses and private lessons for guitar and piano if you'd like to incorporate that into your journey. But it's totally not required to write great songs!

How expensive are lessons?

Private - $425 per month

Group - $250 per month

This covers 4 weeks of lessons, each being between 60-90 minutes long (depending on the student's preference and schedule).

It also includes instant access to any online courses that have been published.

I can't afford to take any of the courses, classes or lessons. What other options do I have?

Not to worry! If private instruction isn't within your budget, you can join Song Circle. It's an online community here where we offer some free courses, writing resources, and a community of writers that give and take feedback on work-in-progress songs. Any new courses will be announced here as well.

If you give away content for free, why take a course, class, or lessons?

Courses: Structured and curated to build knowledge from the ground up. Built to be more engaging, and offering peer and professional feedback. The songwriting course in construction right now is built with song-related puzzles that took a lot of time to curate in order to make the learning experience more intuitive, step-wise, and enjoyable.

Group Lesson: Classes offer real-time opportunities to get answers on questions related to your specific learning journey, as well as offer perspective from other writers, where they're at in their own journey, and answers to questions you may never have thought to ask yourself.

Private Lessons: Not only do you get personalize instruction unlike any other content available, but you access to 15 years worth of knowledge on the industry. You can go just about anywhere to get piano and guitar instruction, but rarely is there local access to specific lessons like songwriting, production, and music business.

Accessibility is a big part of my mission, and why I choose to make free content. However the premium materials/instruction help me to continue making that free material.