I haven't read Spellsong, tho I did read some of Modesitt's Recluse saga.  I liked the 1st one.  And then I read the next one, and it was exactly the same as the 1st one.  And the 3rd, which was exactly the same as the 1st two.  And then I said screw the rest of them.  I do have signed copies, tho.  The story is good, the 1st one is original, but Modesitt should have attempted a conversation with an actual woman before creating female characters.  The same two female characters in each book are completely unbelievable.  I suspect he is a monk.
If you like the idea of music/magic, there is another series by 
Elizabeth Haydon you might like.  I haven't read the trilogy (Rhapsody, Destiny, Prophecy) but I read Requiem for the Sun and Rhapsody's magic seemed to work that way.
Also, in Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series, the bards have a form of magic as well.