About Sarah Manovski
Sarah Manovski is an Australian multi-platinum songwriter and educator with nearly two decades of international experience spanning higher education, commercial music, artist development, and creative industry practice.
Her work sits at the intersection of contemporary songwriting, music pedagogy, creative practice research, and commercial music production. Sarah has taught across undergraduate, postgraduate, and professional learning environments, specialising in songwriting, advanced harmony, music theory, piano, vocal performance, and artist development.
Alongside her academic work, Sarah maintains an active international career as a recording artist and songwriter, with credits and collaborations that have accumulated hundreds of millions of streams globally. Her work has achieved international chart success, worldwide radio play, television sync placements, and live performances to audiences of up to 50,000 people.
Sarah currently lectures and develops curriculum content within higher education music programmes in London, including undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in contemporary music practice and commercial songwriting. Her teaching philosophy combines industry realism with critical creativity, encouraging students to develop both artistic identity and professional sustainability within the modern music industry.
In addition to teaching and research interests, Sarah has extensive experience in music production, vocal editing, MIDI production, AI-assisted vocal technologies, and creative business management. She has also mentored emerging and established artists, including award-winning songwriters and performers.
Sarah holds qualifications in songwriting, music performance and sound production, and is currently completing a Bachelor of Music (Honours) at the University of West London.
She intends to commence PhD research in Songwriting and Contemporary Music Practice in 2027, with proposed research interests focused on contemporary songwriting methodologies, creative identity, pedagogy, and the evolving relationship between technology and songwriting practice.
Check out her research project - The Song Method
Areas of Expertise
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Contemporary songwriting & composition
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Commercial music practice
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Music pedagogy & curriculum design
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Advanced harmony & music theory
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Piano & vocal performance
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Artist development & mentoring
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Audio production & vocal editing
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AI vocal technologies & digital creativity
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Creative practice research
Selected Experience
Higher Education & Academic Work
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Associate Lecturer & Course Writer - Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM), London
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Master’s Degree Course Writer & Lecturer - Tileyard Education, London
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Undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum development
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Module design in advanced harmony, commercial songwriting, and music theory
Industry & Creative Practice
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International recording artist, songwriter, and producer
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Hundreds of millions of global streams across commercial releases
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Television and broadcast sync placements
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Collaboration with labels, publishers, A&R teams, and artists internationally
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Founder and director of independent creative organisations in music and visual arts
Research & Academic Interests
Sarah’s developing research interests include:
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Songwriting as creative practice research
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Contemporary songwriting pedagogy
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Creative identity formation in artists
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Technology and AI within songwriting practice
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Popular music studies
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Music industry sustainability and artistic development
Current Research Interests
Sarah’s current research interests centre on contemporary commercial songwriting methodologies, creative practice research, and the evolving relationship between artistry, cognition, and music production within popular music.
Her developing research explores melodic construction and “hook-first” songwriting approaches associated with Scandinavian pop writing traditions, particularly the melodic architecture and compositional methodologies associated with Max Martin and contemporary commercial pop production.
Additional areas of interest include:
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melodic mathematics and structural analysis in commercial songwriting
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hook-focused composition and listener retention techniques
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idea-generation systems in songwriting practice
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sensory and descriptive writing methods, including Pat Pattison’s object writing methodology
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collaborative songwriting environments and creative workflow design
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genre hybridity and compositional structures within contemporary K-pop
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cross-cultural pop production and genre blending
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AI-assisted creativity and digital vocal technologies in modern songwriting practice
Her broader academic interests also include songwriting pedagogy, artist identity development, and the integration of industry practice within higher education music curriculum.
Creative & Academic Career Highlights
Age 18
Signed to a European management and record label as recording artist Sarah Reeve. Released a debut album that charted internationally and performed across multiple European countries, including major jazz festivals with audiences of up to 50,000 people. Performed at Romania’s Golden Stag Festival, broadcast to approximately 9 million viewers, and secured a commercial sync placement and sponsorship campaign with McDonald's. Delivered songwriting workshops and performances at approximately 100 secondary schools across Europe, combining contemporary music performance with music education and student mentorship.
Age 21
Co-founded original music project The Empire Lights in Ireland. The band’s debut single reached the Top 10 on the iTunes charts. Alongside live performances, delivered songwriting mentorship and educational sessions for university music students focused on contemporary songwriting and artist development.
Age 23
Relocated to London to pursue professional songwriting, music production, and education. Worked privately with internationally recognised artists including Duffy, Geeneus, and Waze & Odyssey. Developed a professional songwriting career securing commercial releases, international chart placements, gold-certified records across territories including the USA, UK, Germany, and Poland, and television sync placements including Pretty Little Liars and Empire.
2016
Designed and delivered the first Master’s-level contemporary songwriting module for Tileyard Education in London, teaching lyric writing, melodic development, chord composition, production, and structured idea-generation methodologies. Former students have since achieved chart success across US, UK, European, and Korean music markets.
2025
Joined Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) as lecturer and module author in advanced harmony, melody and rhythm, keyboard development, critical review, performance, and composition within undergraduate contemporary music programmes.
Education, Professional Training & Memberships
• Bachelor of Music (Honours) - University of West London - 2026
• Safeguarding: Keeping Children Safe in Education - Certified Online Training
• Wellbeing & Pedagogy: The Science of Wellbeing (10-week certificate), Yale University
• Research Ethics Training for Academic Critical Review Research
• Professional Membership: Active member of the Incorporated Society of Musicians, ISM
• APRA-AMCOS Member since 2004
