FF 4.8 | Songwriting

8 Songwriting (2-5 Days)

Objectives

Write and perform or record an acoustic style song using cowboy chords.

Procedure

1. Introduction: Introduce the concept of singer-songwriter music by listening to songs from the listening list.

2. Group Formation: Allow students to choose whether they want to work solo, in pairs, or in small groups for their songwriting project.

3. Songwriting Basics: Explain song structure, focusing on verse and chorus. Analyze existing songs and write a song together to illustrate these concepts.

4. Writing Progressions: As a class, choose a four-chord progression and decide on the harmonic rhythm. Encourage starting with one chord per bar.

5. Lyric Writing: Initiate a discussion on who listens to lyrics and why. Guide students through writing lyrics for the chosen progression, emphasizing the difference between verse and chorus in terms of content and rhythm.

6. Collaborative Writing: Have students work on their songwriting projects, offering choices for structure (e.g., verse-chorus-verse-chorus) and encouraging creativity in lyrics and chord variations.

7. Performance and Recording: Prepare students to perform their songs live or record them. They can also arrange their song to include bass, power chords, and or drums.

8. Sharing and Feedback: Create opportunities for students to share their work, whether through live performance, class presentations, or recorded audio. Encourage constructive feedback and celebrate all successes.

Assessment

• Assess students based on collaboration, and the completeness of their song (lyrics, chord progression, structure).

• Provide feedback on performance readiness and the musical arrangement of their song- make sure the feedback is supportive of the student’s creative identity.

Opening and Closing Activity Ideas

Opening: Provide an incomplete lyric for a verse on the board and have students complete it with their own lyrics. Play a song with impactful lyrics and have students reflect on the words in their practice journal.

Closing: Reflect on the songwriting process in their practice journals, focusing on what they learned and how they felt about creating music.

Differentiation

Remediation: Offer chord progression templates and lyric writing prompts for students who need more guidance.

Enrichment: Challenge advanced students to include bridge sections in their songs or to use more advanced techniques in their picking hand like arpeggios or ornamention.

Notes

• Emphasize the importance of the process over perfection. Songwriting is a personal and creative expression that can vary greatly between individuals.

• Encourage students to explore topics that resonate with them personally for their lyrics, as authentic emotion can greatly enhance a song's impact.

• Celebrate every student's contribution to foster a positive and supportive classroom environment where creativity can flourish.

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