Phil Dubnick also noted that Kooper's extensive experience as a producer brought an added depth to his songwriting instruction. "One of the most valuable parts of this class was to hear what a real producer says about your songs. He knows how to help you make your song come across effectively." Kooper has helped many artists put finishing touches on their songs, having produced 50 albums, including recordings by Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Tubes and Nils Lofgren.

In his Advanced Production Projects class at Berklee, Kooper brought in master tapes from some of those sessions and gave his students a chance to work with the tapes. He also brought in "studio chatter" tapes, one of which was from Phil Spector's "Be My Baby" sessions, to give students a chance to hear the dialogue between musicians in the studio and the producer and engineer in the control room. These hard-to-find tapes "show how records are made," Kooper explained.

He also instructed MP&E students in what he called the "realities" of the business. One student was having a hard time with a band in the studio, and Kooper counseled her to take control of the project. "I said, 'Can the guy. You're giving him free studio time. If he can't show you respect, walk away from it.' She started over with a new band and wound up with one of the best projects in class."

One of the biggest lessons songwriter Dubnick learned from Kooper was the importance of being able to adapt to, even create, new musical opportunities. "Before the 'Like a Rolling Stone' session, he wasn't even an organ player. He showed anything can happen if you keep your options open. His career happened because he's a great musician and because he's adaptable."

Kooper seems to apply the same approach to his Berklee career; he will teach two new classes, History of Songwriting and History of Music Production, in the spring 1998 semester. "I want to teach everything I'm capable of teaching and see what I can do the best and stick with that."

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