Tim Harrington
Over the past decade, Tim Harrington has worked as a touring singer/songwriter, collaborating with multi-platinum recording artist Ben Folds, Grammy award winning songwriter Lori McKenna, and Grammy nominated songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov. His work with his band, Tall Heights, has been featured on CONAN, CBS This Morning, Grey’s Anatomy, American Idol, and has garnered nearly half a billion streams on Spotify to date. In the last 2 years alone, Tim has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center and taken the stage from LA’s Troubadour to London’s Royal Albert Hall.
About Me
Hi, I'm Tim.
It blows my mind that songwriting has taken me to all the places I’ve gone. Not just around the world, but emotionally too. The pursuit of higher creative inspiration has long been my animating force, and now I've been unlocking new ways of sharing that Force with other big-hearted aspiring artists.
Whether discussing life itself, the craft of songwriting, the nuances of email marketing, or the inner workings of a major label record deal, I feel uniquely positioned to illuminate and inspire paths forward for growing Creatives.
At this point in my career—and in this moment more broadly—I feel called to support the next generation. As I raise my 2 boys in a world of so much division and vitriol, it seems to me that teaching and illuminating healthy and constructive paths of authentic self expression might just be imperative. There’re so many big feelings out there and so many beautiful stories. I feel truly aligned with my own purpose when inspiring students who are excited to express themselves to the fullest.
Lectures
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY
Passion-Based Course Selection
This guest lecture illuminates the value of passion-based, interdisciplinary course participation towards enhancing one's college experience, and informing a life's direction far beyond a student's time on campus. It is appropriate for students of all majors.
Since graduating Holy Cross cum laude with an English Degree and an Honors Thesis in Creative Writing (2010), I’ve worked as a touring singer/songwriter, collaborating with multi-platinum selling singer-songwriter, producer, and musician Ben Folds, Grammy award winning songwriter Lori McKenna, and Grammy nominated singer/songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov. My work with my own band, Tall Heights, has been featured on CONAN, Grey’s Anatomy, American Idol, and has garnered nearly half a billion streams on Spotify. In the last 2 years alone, I’ve performed with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center and taken the stage from LA’s Troubadour to London’s Royal Albert Hall.
In college I was an English major, yes, but like every student, I contained magnitudes far beyond my major. My life since Holy Cross testifies to that. I felt constantly drawn to the creative arts: creative writing, Music Theory 1, 2, and 3, and Digital Media for Musicians. Outside of class, I won the student run Battle of the Bands twice, played gigs around the campus and in town, and headed the Student Musician Coalition Club.
In hindsight, I'm relieved that my musical and creative passions were strong enough to surmount some naturally occurring trepidation in participating in classes as music-major-focused as Music Theory 1, 2, and 3. But also, as a guy who loves to paint and design, I wish I utilized more of the visual arts department while I had that opportunity.
As you very well know, a Liberal Arts Education is a golden opportunity for personal growth, but core curriculums, majors, inhibitions, and physical and mental barriers between departments can snuff out the fire of personal interest and passion. I'd like to inspire my fellow learners to reorient their decisions towards growth and true self expression.
In a visiting lecture series, I'd love to remind students that they're not just their major. They're a divine manifestation of excitement and enthusiasm, and they should take this opportunity of 4 years in college as a chance to be who they are in all of its complexity.
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY
How Much “You” is in Your Career Toolbox?
This guest lecture is aimed at students with majors in the Creative Arts to investigate one's identity, discipline, and skills. The goal is to aid this specific cross-section of students realize how much value they (often unknowingly) carry into the world beyond college. Certain majors and concentrations are so intrinsically directional in the world beyond graduation, and I wish to instill confidence in my fellow sensitive artistic minds that they’ll be ok following their passions.
By authentically sharing my journey through the highs and lows of a life in the arts, I invite students to think critically about their own path, hopefully awakening them to a path towards purpose that is creative, inspired, and malleable. We discuss transferable skills from one's major and how they intersect with interpersonal skills. Simple improv games provide levity and student involvement to illustrate the value of “yes, and…” which is NOT to be confused with “not taking no for an answer.” We’ll explore the difference.
Students walk away understanding their own transferable skills, interpersonal skills and how they might apply them to opportunities in the real world. I aspired to impart confidence and trust that, as long as their decisions to learn and grow within an artistic discipline is authentically aligned with a deeper spiritual "you," then there is only excitement, inspiration and, yes, a career on their horizons.
MUSIC DEPT.
The DIY Musician
This guest lecture is aimed at music students with a particular interest/concentration in Music Business. It has worked well for classes like “Digital Media for Musicians” and “Business of Music.”
Over my career in music, the meaning of “DIY” has been ever present and ever evolving. From self recording, funding and releasing albums to partnering with a major label, there’s always something to do yourself. In this lecture, the wisdom I wish to impart upon students is that nothing is ever more important than the artist’s fingerprint, their unique sensibilities.
At each next career moment, opportunities arise to offload the work, entrusting others to purvey and develop the story and brand. Growing your team is necessary, but removing one’s DNA from a project’s output is a road to nowhere. Ultimately it’s the artist’s singularity and not a savvy marketing strategy that will compel the world to pay attention. I hope to make students realize that DIY is not a means to an end, but a state of being from here to Madison Square Garden.
MUSIC DEPT.
Email Marketing Still Matters!
This guest lecture is aimed at music students with a particular interest/concentration in Music Business. It has worked well for classes like “Digital Media for Musicians” and “Business of Music.”
Let’s face it : we all hate social media. As artists jump through hoops in myriad ways to rise within a poisonous and deeply unpopular algorithm, it’s easy to feel lost and unsatisfied. Engaging in the casino trap of eyeballs and thumb-swipes on mobile devices feels completely divorced from the artistic existence we were born to live.
Here’s the good news : we can care less about views on TikTok by doubling down on email marketing. An email list is something you can keep, something you can grow, and something you can monetize… and it can be deeply fulfilling too. Caring about your email list in no way prevents you from going viral on TikTok, but it does set you up better for the day you do. Let me share some easy tricks of the trade, and let’s get psyched about grassroots fan-making. Keep your fingers crossed on the socials, keep your career growing and heart happy with email marketing.
MUSIC DEPT.
Songs from the Shadow
This guest lecture is aimed at music students with a particular interest/concentration in Music Composition/Songwriting.
Psychologist and Philosopher Carl Jung beautifully identified the true self as “the God within us.” This version of Selfhood contains two separate but inter-reliant worlds : the conscious and the subconscious self. A person only feels truly at peace and authentic when the subconscious self is expressed in one’s conscious life in action. Making art from that “Shadow” is an opportunity towards such growth.
When we learn to write songs from the Shadow, not only are we helping ourselves towards sustainable contentment, but we’re also accessing our highest purpose and power as artists. After this lecture, you’ll second guess the culture of The Nashville Cowrite. You’ll learn why you should write a song, and why you shouldn’t.
MUSIC DEPT.
I’ve Looked at Songs from Both Sides Now
This guest lecture is aimed at music students with a particular interest/concentration in Music Business. It has worked well for classes like “Digital Media for Musicians” and “Business of Music.”
This is a more introductory, rudimentary approach to “The Song.” Yes as a piece of creative with lyric, hook, melody, harmony, and accompaniment, but also as intellectual property. The master, the publishing, the rights, the usages, the royalties. It’s confusing and important stuff that has directly materialized in my married-with-kids life in the music industry. This stuff matters.
"thank you for all the positivity, encouragement, and wisdom you provided for our campus community on Thursday. I am still buzzing from the conversation"
Prof. Andrew Cote
Merrimack University
"the perfect guest to launch the series and I think the students really appreciated his thoughtful insights."
Prof. Christopher Previte
Merrimack University
"They learned a lot this morning. This class tends to be a quiet bunch, but they were talking already about how much they enjoyed it."
Prof. Toby Mountain
George Washington University