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D A K O T A B E A R 38 Now that you know about the structure of songwriting, you can start making music. LESSON 3: SONGWRITING PART 2 "Music is therapeutic. It 's healing. It 's a way to express ourselves." In this lesson, Dakota Bear takes us behind the scenes of his own writing process: "First, I find my flow. Before I start writing my bars. I'll find the flow on the beat. I'll listen to it over and over and over and over again. Don't rush through your songs. You don't have to make a song in one or two hours." AUTHENTICITY IN SONGWRITING " Take your time with your craft. Practice as much as you can. As indigenous peoples, we're natural storytellers. So tell your story. Where do you come from? Who are you? What do you stand for ?" Dakota talks about the importance of being true to yourself in music and how songwriting can be therapeutic and healing like journaling. When it comes to writer's block, Dakota recommends writing every day, whether you're writing songs, journaling in a book or on your phone. As a genre, hip hop can glorify the wrong things, Dakota observes, and notes that it's important to consider the impact of your words on your audience. He also encourages songwriting as a way for Indigenous people to represent themselves in music. BEING WHO YOU ARE IN MUSIC "Don't be afraid of who you are, your identity. You're unique and make sure that you show that every time that you're writing a song. Speak your truth. Write about the struggles in your community. Write about the struggles that we face as Indigenous peoples. Write about the things that are sacred to spread your light, uplifting and empowering with your song. Spring all of the things that you want to see into your future onto the track. Speak it into existence. Sometimes we feel empowered. We feel confident. Sometimes we feel frustrated, angry, sad. Let all of that out on a song." RHYMING PATTERNS When you're talking about rhyming patterns, it's really going back to poetry but it can be confusing.