What’s Fun About Writing Songs With Kids?
by Andy Manurung, Music Teacher
Writing songs is something that many adults do and may be considered something normal. However, do primary school children have the ability and opportunity to write songs? How to get started? There are several reasons why it is worth encouraging kids to start writing their own songs. First, to foster creativity. Second, to build self-confidence. Third, to enrich literacy. Fourth, as self-expression. As a music teacher, seeing a child’s potential and exploring it requires foresight. I am happy to share the creative process of creating a song written by third grade elementary school children.
Songwriting is empowering. There is so much great music written for children to perform that is written by adults. When children are given the opportunity to write their own songs, they feel an incredible sense of pride in having their ideas heard. — I still remember how enthusiastic the children were when they said “I wrote the first line of the lyrics”. “I came up with the melody.” “I was the one who had the idea for the song, happy.” They even told the rest of the class that they were working on their own songwriting project, and after the music video was shown they bragged, “That’s our song!” —
There are several facts that I discovered when I started exploring their creative ideas. Firstly, children will always start with a topic they like, the teacher will continue to dig deeper into that topic. Secondly, the children will inspire each other, especially in writing lyrics and I think this is extraordinary. Third, every child has a ‘sense’ of melody within themselves. Fourth, each child has a different way of learning. A child who is shy and uncomfortable sharing ideas in class suddenly changes when the power of music influences them to open up. Writing songs unlocks something inside these kids.
How is the creative process of songwriting and where does it start? First, dig up ideas and brainstorming. Ask what kind of song will be written? Happy or sad? Slow or fast? What topic will be told through the lyrics? About nature? Friends? Family? Animals? Let the children express their ideas, the teacher only guides. Second, write lyrics and stories (storytelling). Will the lyrics rhyme or not? — In some cases there may be someone who starts exploring the melody of the song first, then starts writing the lyrics. I think this is not a problem.— Third, create a melody that will then be adjusted to the rhythm and syllables of each word to be sung. The teacher is allowed to help by playing chord progressions so that the children are tempted to chant or hum. The process of choosing these words requires the teacher’s help so that each syllable can be sung well and beautifully. As academic honesty, it is very important for a teacher to ensure that the melody is created by their students. Fourth, combine the melody and lyrics so they can be sung well. Fifth, give the final touches by entering the recording and mixing process of sound and background sounds. And the final part is inviting children to make music videos so that the songs they write can be enjoyed not only audio but also visually.
