Kael is a songwriter and the studio's theory teacher. He has written for theatre, released two independent EPs, and spent a year as a writer-in-residence at a local college. He teaches theory the way he writes songs — by looking at what is actually there and asking whether it earns its place.
Teaching philosophy
Kael runs the Songwriting Workshop as a discipline of finishing. He believes most writers do not lack ideas; they lack a way to finish one. His feedback is direct and kind, and he is allergic to the vague note. If a line does not work, he will tell you why, and he will hand you three ways to fix it.
Write the verse you are afraid of. That is usually the one the song needs.
He also teaches theory to the studio's older students, with a focus on the harmony that actual songs use.