December 2007: In the Tradition of...

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Here’s what’s in this month’s newsletter (click a chapter title to go straight to that chapter):
I Wrote a Hit Song! Contest Winner
December Songwriting Challenge
December Poll: How Much Snow?


I Wrote a Hit Song! Contest Winner

Congratulations to Katie, age 10...Katie wrote a hit song!

Katie, all the way from Cheshire, England, wrote a song called "Don't Need" and you can view the lyrics at the I Wrote a Hit Song! webpage. I think you'll like it! Please stop by and leave a comment for Katie to let her know how much you enjoyed her song!


December Songwriting Challenge: It's a Tradition!

There are lots of songs that are written about holiday traditions. I bet you can think of a lot of songs about Christmas trees, snowmen, dreidels, and putting up decorations.

What are your favorite traditions in December? Do you light candles, make snow angels, decorate cookies, or spend time with your grandparents? Think about whatever it is that you look forward to doing every year...it could make a great song!

December Songwriting Challenge:
Can you write a song about a favorite tradition?

Here are some things to think about:

1. What do you do that is special to this time of year?
2. What makes it so special? WHY do you like doing it?
3. Try to sing about the tradition in the CHORUS
   
4. Then tell the story in the VERSES

Here's an example:

CHORUS (the tradition is hearing the bells while riding on a sleigh):
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh

VERSE (the story of how and why they ride in the sleigh):
Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O'er the fields we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on bobtails ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight

VERSE 2 (more story...with a funny ending, the sleigh tipping over into a snowbank!):
A day or two ago
I thought I'd take a ride
And soon Miss Fanny Bright
Was seated by my side
The horse was lean and lank
Misfortune seemed his lot
We got into a drifted bank
And then we got upsot!

Who knows, maybe writing a song about your traditions will become a tradition! As always, if you'd like to enter your song in the I Wrote a Hit Song! contest, you can read the rules here.

December Poll: How Much Snow?

If you can't see the poll, just click here. (Once you vote, you'll be able to view the results.)

November 2007: Tell Me a Story

Do you know a friend who would like Songwriting for Kids?
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Here’s what’s in this month’s newsletter (click a chapter title to go straight to that chapter):
I Wrote a Hit Song! Contest Winner
November Songwriting Challenge
November Poll: Storytime


I Wrote a Hit Song! Contest Winner

Congratulations to Sophie, age 6...Sophie wrote a hit song!

It's called "The Storm" and you can view the lyrics at the I Wrote a Hit Song! webpage. I think you'll like it! Please stop by and leave a comment for Sophie to let her know how much you enjoyed her song!


November Songwriting Challenge: Tell Me a Story

In a way, all songs tell a story. They describe a feeling, or a scene, or something that happened. Some songs, however, tell you a story straight from the beginning all the way through to the end.

Like the song "Gum Tree Canoe." This song was written by S. S. Steele in 1847 (160 years ago!) It tells the story of two slaves, Joseph and Julia, who were forced to pick cotton all day long but found a way to escape from slavery.

The song tells us the whole story.

First, it introduces the CHARACTERS and the PLACE.

Then, it tells us the STORY of how they met, how they worked in the cotton fields all day, and how their favorite thing to do was row in the Gum Tree Canoe. Then, the song tells us how they finally escaped by hooking their canoe onto a tall ship that was sailing by!

Here are some of the lyrics (You can listen to the first two verses of this song on my new album by clicking here. Just scroll down to the list of songs, and hit the Play button next to Gum Tree Canoe):

On the Tombigbee River so bright I was born
In a hut made of husks of the tall yellow corn
It was there I first met with my Joseph so true
And he'd row me around in his gum tree canoe

CHORUS: Sing row away row o'er the water so blue
Like a feather we'll float in our gum tree canoe

All day in the field the soft cotton I'd hoe
I'd think of my Joseph and sing as I go
I'll catch him a bird with a wing of true blue
And at night we will row in our gum tree canoe

CHORUS: Sing row away row o'er the water so blue
Like a feather we'll float in our gum tree canoe

One day the old river took us so far away
That we couldn't get back, so we thought we'd just stay
We spied a tall ship with a flag of true blue
And she took us in tow in our gum tree canoe

CHORUS: Sing row away row o'er the water so blue
Like a feather we'll float in our gum tree canoe

November Songwriting Challenge:
Can you write a story song?

Here are some things to think about:

1. PLACE: Where does your story take place?
   
2. CHARACTERS: Who is the story about?
   
3. STORY: What happens to the characters in the beginning? How about the middle? And in the end?
4. CHORUS: This is where your story really shines...what is the MAIN IDEA? What is the main idea in Gum Tree Canoe? Row away, row o'er the water so blue/Like a feather we'll float in our gum tree canoe.

I hope you'll have fun writing a story song. If you'd like to enter your song in the I Wrote a Hit Song! contest, you can read the rules here.

November Poll: Storytime
If you can't see the poll, just click here.

October 2007: Now the Leaves are Falling

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Here’s what’s in this month’s newsletter (click a chapter title to go straight to that chapter):
All About American Songs Volume 2
October Songwriting Challenge
October Poll: Happy Halloween!



All About American Songs Volume 2

As you know, my new CD, American Songs volume 2 is finally out and it is available at Amazon.com and at Bull Moose Music stores in Maine! Woohoo!

Well, each week, I have been writing about the stories behind each of the songs. If you're interested in who wrote "Oh Susanna" or what happened to Evangeline and Gabriel in the original poem "Evangeline" or if you'd like to see the original sheet music for "Gum Tree Canoe", you can read all about the songs at Please Come Flying. I'll be writing about the last few songs during October, so stay tuned for the stories behind "This Land Is Your Land," "Goin' Home," and more! (While you're there, you can also watch a very funny video about a lady with a monkey on her head...)

Don't forget you can listen to these three songs for free:

• Oh Susanna
• Unclouded Day
• Oh Sister

If you like the free songs, please pass them on to your friends. And of course, feel free to send me a note to let me know what you think!


October Songwriting Challenge: Now the Leaves are Falling

If you live in the North like me, it is time for hot cider, apple picking, and falling leaves. I love to watch the leaves fall (and I love to kick them around once they're on the ground!)

In the spirit of Autumn, this month's songwriting challenge is:

Write a "falling" song

"What in the world is a falling song?"

Sometimes a song's melody can help to tell the story of the song. If a song is about climbing a mountain, the melody might go from LOW to HIGH to help paint the picture of what is happening in the song. Click here for a good example in Climb Every Mountain from the Sound of Music.

See if you can write a song where both the melody and the words are falling at the same time.

"Ring Around the Rosy" is a perfect example:

Ring around the rosy
Pocket full of posies
Ashes, ashes
We all fall down

What happens in the last line? The words are about falling, but also the melody falls from HIGH to LOW.

Your falling song could be about anything: a cat falling from a tree, a sleeping boy falling out of bed, roses falling from someone's arms, or even falling in love. Just make sure that the melody also falls from HIGH to LOW.

Bonus: Add some actions. In "Ring Around the Rosy," the singers fall straight down. But if your song is about falling leaves, how would you fall? In a straight line, or slowly, drifting side to side? How about if you fell down a hill...would it be more of a tumbling action? Have fun!

If you are 12 or under, you can enter your song in the I Wrote a Hit Song! contest. Click here to learn how.

October Poll: Happy Halloween!

What is your favorite Halloween costume you ever wore? If you post a comment here to describe it, I'll pick one entry to win a free copy of American Songs volume 2!

This is me and some of my siblings on one of my favorite Halloweens (I'm the one with the crown):

September 2007: Picture This!

Do you know a friend who would like Songwriting for Kids?
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Here’s what’s in this month’s newsletter (click a chapter title to go straight to that chapter):
Josephine's New CD! American Songs Volume 2
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick Story Writing Contest
September Songwriting Challenge
September Poll: Say Cheese!



Josephine's New CD! American Songs Volume 2

I've been working hard all summer on a new CD, American Songs Volume 2. It's a collection of some of my favorite old traditional songs, including "Oh Susanna," "Gum Tree Canoe," and "This Land Is Your Land." I'm so excited that it's finished, and I hope you will like it! There are even three preview tracks that you can listen to for free:

• Oh Susanna
• Unclouded Day
• Oh Sister

There's also a chance to win a free CD on the Oh Susanna page at my blog, Please Come Flying. You can order American Songs Volume 2 right now on Amazon.com and soon, it will be available on iTunes and maybe even in some stores near you! I hope you'll enjoy the songs!


The Mysteries of Harris Burdick Story Writing Contest

I know some of you are quite familiar with the very cool book, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick (you can click here to hear a couple songs that students have written using pictures from the book).

Well, I was excited to find that there is now a brand new Mysteries of Harris Burdick Story Writing Contest for grades 2-8. I know many of you are just bursting with Harris Burdick stories...I hope you'll write one down and enter the contest!

(You can also visit my blog, Please Come Flying, to read more about the book.)


September Songwriting Challenge: Picture This!

Inspiration = something that gives you an idea, feeling, or thought

Songwriters find inspiration all around them. We get ideas from past memories, from nature, from the people around us, even from daydreaming. And just like the Harris Burdick pictures have inspired stories, pictures are also a great place to look for inspiration for a song.

This month's songwriting challenge: Use one of the pictures below as inspiration for your song

Tips:

• Choose one picture to start with
  
• What does the picture make you think of?
  
• How does it make you feel?
• Is there a story you can tell about the picture?
  
• How many details can you notice? Do you think the water in the first picture is cold? Do you think the squirrel's fur is soft? How many colors can you see in the flower? If you want, make a list of every detail that you see and imagine.
  
• Don't forget to include some of those details in the song.

About the photographer: Michelle Zlimen (Micky) is a terrific photographer from Minnesota. She took the photo that is on the cover of my new CD, American Songs vol. 2 (you can see it here), and she took all three photos shown below. If you want to be inspired by more of Micky's photography, please visit her website. If you write a song about one of her photos, you can also send her a message. I bet she'd love to hear from you!

And of course, once it's finished, you can always enter your song in the I Wrote a Hit Song! contest. :)

Photo #1: Dreams of Summer

Photo #2: The Cute Thief

Photo #3: A Peek at What Is to Come

September Poll: Say Cheese!

What is your favorite family picture? Post a comment here to tell us about it.

(I have a lot of favorites, but one of mine is a picture of my 2-year old niece, Cella, after she spread an entire jar of Vaseline all over her face & head! If I can find it in my box of photos, I'll post it here for you...it's great!)

August 2007: What Nonsense!

Do you know a friend who would like Songwriting for Kids?
Click here to send them a link to this newsletter!

Here’s what’s in this month’s newsletter (click a chapter title to go straight to that chapter):
I Wrote a Hit Song! Contest Winner
August Songwriting Challenge
August Poll: Nonsense Schmonsense!

I Wrote a Hit Song! Contest Winner

Congratulations to Kaylin, age 9 from North Brunswick, New Jersey...Kaylin wrote a hit song!

It's called "Kids Rule" and you can view the lyrics at the I Wrote a Hit Song! webpage. I think you'll like it! Please stop by and leave a comment for Kaylin to let her know how much you enjoyed her song!


August Songwriting Challenge: What Nonsense!

There's nothing quite as fun and goofy as a good nonsense song. One of my most recent favorites is Hoodoo Voodoo. The words were written by Woody Guthrie, but he never finished writing the music before he died. So musicians Billy Bragg and Wilco got together a few years ago and wrote the music for him. You can listen to Hoodoo Voodoo on iTunes...what do you think?

Here are some of the lyrics:

Hoodoo voodoo,
Seven twenty, one two;
Haystacks, hostacks,
A B C.
High poker, low joker,
Ninety nine a Zero;
Sidewalk, streetcar,
Dance a goofy dance.

Blackbirdy, bluejay;
One two three four;
Trash back, jump back,
E F G.
Biggy hat, little hat,
Fattyman, skinnyman;
Grasshopper, greensnake,
Hold my hand.

Hoodoo voodoo
Chooka chooky choochoo;
True blue, how true;
Kissle me now.
Click here for the rest of the Hoodoo Voodoo lyrics.

August Songwriting Challenge:
Can you write a nonsense song?

There are 3 keys to writing a good nonsense song:

1. RHYME: Give your song some rhyming words (and remember, they don't have to be sensible). Rhymes will make it fun to sing and easy to remember even if the words don't make any "sense."
   
2. RHYTHM: Give the song a strong beat & make sure you can clap (or dance) along.
   
3. HAVE FUN!: Be your goofiest, silliest, most creative self.
   

August Poll: Nonsense Schmonsense!