One of my more fulfilling lockdown projects has involved helping my BFF answer her daughter's questions about songwriting.
The first bit was about why we write songs in the first place, and different types of songs that reflect those different reasons. (Gregory Orr's discussion of lyrical vs. narrative writing is tremendously useful in thinking about this, fwiw.) This section turned into a little 18-page e-book, complete with a playlist. The list is loosely grouped into songs that imitate real-life sounds, lyrical songs, narrative songs, informative songs, nonsense/scatting songs, and instrumental compositions, with some examples of different instrumental ensembles.
I should also note—in case you're thinking about sharing this with kids—that a couple of the songs contain lyrics or references that might not be completely family-friendly. These are things that I know my BFF has discussed with her daughter. But not every parent wants to explain "Ms. Jackson" right now, in These Uncertain Times, so maybe just stay close to the Skip button, if you're not sure.
I think it's going to be a series, though for now I'm happy to road-test it with individual kids rather than trying to find a publisher. Next up: lyrics, lyrical structure, rhyme. I know one of the songs I'm going to discuss is "Freedom" (metaphor! imagery! allusion! and Kendrick Lamar's motif development is so good), but I would love to hear other suggestions.
The first bit was about why we write songs in the first place, and different types of songs that reflect those different reasons. (Gregory Orr's discussion of lyrical vs. narrative writing is tremendously useful in thinking about this, fwiw.) This section turned into a little 18-page e-book, complete with a playlist. The list is loosely grouped into songs that imitate real-life sounds, lyrical songs, narrative songs, informative songs, nonsense/scatting songs, and instrumental compositions, with some examples of different instrumental ensembles.
I should also note—in case you're thinking about sharing this with kids—that a couple of the songs contain lyrics or references that might not be completely family-friendly. These are things that I know my BFF has discussed with her daughter. But not every parent wants to explain "Ms. Jackson" right now, in These Uncertain Times, so maybe just stay close to the Skip button, if you're not sure.
I think it's going to be a series, though for now I'm happy to road-test it with individual kids rather than trying to find a publisher. Next up: lyrics, lyrical structure, rhyme. I know one of the songs I'm going to discuss is "Freedom" (metaphor! imagery! allusion! and Kendrick Lamar's motif development is so good), but I would love to hear other suggestions.
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