As a songwriter myself, many lyricists have often lamented to me that they don't write music. And when I suggest that they partner with a musical co-writer, their response usually includes one of the following:

• "I don't know anyone who writes music."
• "I live in a small town."
• "The closest songwriters' association is 4 hours away."
• "I'm the only one I know who does this."
• "Where would I find a musical co-writer?"

Perhaps you've said or thought some of these same things yourself?

Here are some ideas that I hope will help you in your search for a musical collaborator:

1. Do you attend a local church or synagogue? Does it have a choir? An organist? A music director? Have you approached any of these people? Just because they are playing, singing, or directing religious music doesn't mean they don't have interests or talents in other types of music. Show up at their next rehearsal and ask if anyone writes music. They might be looking for someone to put words to their melodies! And if you are not a member of a local church or synagogue, it doesn't mean you can't visit one or several of them. Or call them on the phone and ask to speak to their music director.

2. How about your local schools? Do they have a music department? A music teacher? A band director? A chorus teacher? These individuals have usually studied music in school and might be thrilled at the opportunity to use their talents on something outside of the classroom. Also, they may have contacts with other music organizations and/or know other music individuals you don't know. Call the school to find out how you can contact the teacher directly. Leave a message for a specific teacher to call you back. Or attend a public concert or recital that the school is giving and approach the teachers or directors personally.

3. Is there a music store or record store in town? Get to know the people who work there. Ask them if they play an instrument. Tell them that you're looking for a musical collaborator. See if they have a bulletin board where you can post a notice. Ask them if they'd be interested in putting music to your lyrics.

4. Look for individual instructors. Is there a piano teacher in your neighborhood? A guitar teacher? A voice coach? Check the classified ads of your local paper to see if anyone is advertising their services.

5. Don't rule out friends, family, or people that you work with. Often they have "hidden" talents that they don't necessarily share. Do you discuss your lyric writing with them? Have you told them you are looking for a collaborator? Maybe they'd be interested in discovering a new talent of their own. Maybe they have a friend or family member who can write music. Sometimes our best resources are sitting right in front of us-remember to ask!

6. Keep in mind that you don't have to be in the same room with someone to co-write. I've written songs through telephone messages (so we could hear the melody) and e-mail. You can cultivate long distance relationships with co-writers in other towns. Is there someone you know outside of your town? Can you contact them?

7. Place an ad in the free weekly papers and arts magazines of larger towns near your area or of music cities such as Nashville, Los Angeles, and New York City saying that you are looking for a musical collaborator. It may take you a while to get a response-and it may take a while to find the right person. Be cautious, particular, and persistent in your search.

8. Many songwriter magazines and association newsletters also have classified sections. Subscribe to them, read them, and place your own ads. Some suggestions of places to start: National Association of Songwriters (NAS), Country Songwriter magazine, and American Songwriter magazine.

9. The Internet is a marvelous resource-of course, you already know that, because you're a Lyrical Line subscriber. So, use a search engine or two to look up sites on co-writing (or co-writer, collaborator, etc.), place a classified ad for a musical co-writer on Lyrical Line, attend chat sessions on songwriting, join a newsgroup or listserv, and post your classified ad on songwriting and music-related bulletin boards.

10. Finally, how about learning to write music yourself? Take a music theory class. Learn to play an instrument. If you're serious about songwriting, you'll do anything it takes-and that might mean learning to do it yourself. Just because you've never done it before, doesn't mean you can't in the future. Believe in yourself. You might be surprised at how talented and capable you really are!

I wish you the Best of Luck in your music and songwriting careers and dreams. Because, Life Without Music Would Be A Mistake!

Nancy Moran has led the life of a contemporary folk/rock, singer/songwriter for over a decade, releasing three albums, performing at venues from Boston to Austin to Anchorage, and receiving radio airplay on over 80 stations across the US and abroad. She's also a professional speaker, a workshop leader, and a music business personal coach. For more information on Nancy, visit her Web site at http://www.nancymoran.com/ or e-mail her at nancy@nancymoran.com.