Receiving Critique Doesn’t Have to Feel Like a Strip Search

By sharing a song of hers for critique, a songster is opening it up for public debate. She’s inviting her fellow songwriters to give their opinions about which parts of the song are working well–and which parts need work.

To those who’ve never received a critique before, the whole idea might sound unnerving, or even invasive–kinda like being on the business end of a very thorough strip search. Insert rubber glove sound effect here.

That’s understandable. There are a lot of fears tangled up in receiving critique. Maybe you’re afraid that people won’t like your tune. Maybe you love your song and you’re scared that critique will suck all the wind out of your sails. Maybe you’re afraid of finding out that the tune still needs lots of work–work that you won’t have the skills or energy for.

If any of these fears are holding you back, you should know that it’s totally possible to emerge from a critique feeling excited about your work.

Critique might do any or all of the following:

• feed your enthusiasm about the best parts of your song
• confirm your suspicions about which parts need work
• highlight special talents that you didn’t realize were so interesting to others
• reveal blanks in your knowledge of the craft, which you can then fill in with study and practice
• offer you a chance to learn from songwriters you admire
• build your reputation within a songwriting community
• give you a way to commiserate with fellow songsters about the pleasures and challenges of the craft
• give you fresh angles on your own work and awaken you to exciting possibilities you wouldn’t have seen otherwise
• thicken your skin and build your confidence

If you can learn to calmly handle constructive criticism, and can stay motivated to actively seek it out, you’ve got a huge advantage over thinner-skinned songsters. Some people can’t handle hearing anything but praise for their songs–and it stunts their growth.

Suggestions from fellow songwriters are invaluable for learning more about your strengths and weaknesses. And though first-timers might feel understandably nervous about inviting criticism, critique doesnot have to feel invasive and raw. It can actually be very rewarding, it can stretch your skills, and it can spur you on to new musical vistas.

Typically, though, you only get what you give. With that in mind, tomorrow I’ll be back to talk about how to give a thorough, helpful critique that your fellow songwriters will really appreciate.