Fall 2010: Won't You Play a Simple Melody?

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The Moon Shines Bright onto the River
I Wrote a Hit Song! Contest Winner
SFK Bookclub
Fall Songwriting Challenge
Poll: Hearing Isn't Everything


  The Moon Shines Bright onto the River


This year's summer programs were so much fun. If you haven't already had a chance, please stop by the Listening Room to hear the 2010 Class Song, "The Moon Shines Bright onto the River." While you're at it, you can listen to songs from previous years as well!

I Wrote a Hit Song! Contest Winner

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

Hannah, from Nibley, Utah, wrote a song called "Believe" and you can hear her play it on piano at the I Wrote a Hit Song! webpage. It's a beautiful instrumental song that Hannah wrote because as she wrote in her email, "it helps me believe." Please stop by and leave a comment for Hannah to let her know how much you enjoyed her song.


 SFK Bookclub

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Okay, this isn't a book about music at all. So what is it doing in the SFK Bookclub? Well, since this issue of the newsletter is devoted to songs without words, I thought I'd feature my favorite book without words. Shaun Tan's book is entirely told in pictures, and it took him five years to write! Read more about this book...


Songwriting Challenge: Won't You Play a Simple Melody?


Since the latest I Wrote a Hit Song! contest winner wrote a terrific song without any words at all, your challenge is to try to tell a musical story without words. There are lots of ways to do it. In my song, Lullaby, I tried to capture a calm, soothing mood using only keyboard and humming.

Fall '10 Songwriting Challenge:
Can you write an instrumental song?

Here are some things to think about:

1. What kind of mood do you want the listener to feel? Happy? Excited? Sad? Scared?
   
2. How will the music you play need to sound in order to create that mood? Will it be fast? Slow? Loud? Soft?
3. What instrument will you play it on? Don't play an instrument? Try humming, or singing fake words (da-da, dee-bah). The great jazz singers did that all the time...they called it "scat" singing!
   
4. Let the music change and grow. A story or song that is exactly the same all the way through will get boring. Perhaps there could be a soft moment in your loud song. Or a part where your quiet song gets more intense, or the melody shifts higher or lower or changes completely.
   
5. Have fun!
   

Poll: Hearing Isn't Everything

If you can't see the poll, just click here. (Once you vote, you'll be able to see other people's answers, too.)

Spring 2010: Losing It

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Summer Workshop Deadline: June 1st
I Wrote a Hit Song! Contest Winner
SFK Bookclub
Spring Songwriting Challenge
Poll: You'd Lose Your Head If It Wasn't Screwed On!


  Summer Workshop Deadline: June 1st



Registration is now open for my summer workshops at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. I can't wait to see all the creative work that my students will come up with this year...hope you can join us!

July 12-16, 2010
Songwriting for Kids Vol. 1 (K-3), 8:30am-12:00pm
Fiction Writing for Kids (grades 3-5), 1:30pm-5:00pm

July 19-23, 2010
Songwriting for Kids Vol. 2 (K-3), 8:30am-12:00pm
Poetry Writing for Kids (grades 3-5), 1:30pm-5:00pm


For more information and to register, please visit www.songwritingforkids.com.

I Wrote a Hit Song! Contest Winner

Congratulations to Lucy, age 9...Lucy wrote a hit song!

Lucy, from Woolwich, Maine, wrote a song called "When a Bluejay Dies" and you can view the lyrics at the I Wrote a Hit Song! webpage. It's a heartfelt song about the circle of life. Please stop by and leave a comment for Lucy to let her know how much you enjoyed her song.


 SFK Bookclub

Learn to Speak Music by John Crossingham

For any kid who's ever wanted to write a song, start a band, record music, or play a gig...Learn to Speak Music is a book well worth checking out! Read more about this book...


Songwriting Challenge: Losing It

Everybody loses something sometime or another. We lose books, toys, keys, socks. We lose dogs, cats, people we love. We lose our tempers, we lose our train of thought. Sometimes it even feels like we lose our minds!

Losing things can be hard. But think about all the great songs that are written because of something lost. Lucy (this quarter's I Wrote a Hit Song! contest winner) wrote a terrific song about losing a blue jay. There are all kinds of songs about losing pets "Old Blue," "Oh Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?," "The Cat Came Back." My own song Evangeline is based on a Longfellow poem about a girl who loses her true love.

Spring '10 Songwriting Challenge:
Can you write a song about something lost?

Here are some things to think about:

1. What's something you've lost recently? Write about that.
   
2. Will your song be funny or serious, happy or sad? A song about losing a grandparent could be beautiful and sad, but you could also write a fun song about losing a tooth, or a mysterious song about a missing key or a long lost treasure map.
   
3. Give some details. How did you lose it? Did you find it again? What did you like or dislike about the thing you lost?
   
4. Write about how you feel. Are you glad the thing you've lost is gone? Sad? Worried? Relieved? How will you feel when and if you find it?
5. Have fun!
   

Here's a goofy song from Sesame Street about a lost cookie:



Poll: You'd Lose Your Head If It Wasn't Screwed On!

If you can't see the poll, just click here. (Once you vote, you'll be able to see other people's answers, too.)

Winter 2010: Freedom!

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

Upcoming Workshops: March 5th and Summer 2010
I Wrote a Hit Song! Contest Winner
SFK Bookclub
Winter Songwriting Challenge
Poll: Shh...We Won't Tell!


  Upcoming Workshops: March 5th and Summer 2010

MARCH 5TH: American Songs Workshop (for children and their families)
A local homeschool group and the Shelter Institute in Woolwich are hosting this event, and I hope you will be able to attend. Please spread the word to any families you think might be interested. Space is limited, so an RSVP is required.

Friday, March 5th at 6:30pm.

Shelter Institute, 873 Route 1, Woolwich, ME

Please RSVP to michelle.larocquetipton_at_gmail_dot_com as space is limited.
The cost is $18 per family. Scholarships are available upon request.

Here is a sweet note from Michele about the workshop:

Josie has offered her workshop on American Songs to school groups, and in this unique event she will be opening the workshop up for families to enjoy. She has won the hearts of OUR family and friends with her beautiful voice, love of children, and interest in American folk songs. Please check her out at Josephinecameron.com and join us for this amazing opportunity.

SAVE THE DATE: 2010 Summer Workshops

The 2010 summer workshop dates have been set! These workshops will be held at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME.

July 12-16, 2010
Songwriting for Kids Vol. 1 (K-3), 8:30am-12:00pm
Fiction Writing for Kids (grades 3-5), 1:30pm-5:00pm

July 19-23, 2010
Songwriting for Kids Vol. 2 (K-3), 8:30am-12:00pm
Poetry Writing for Kids (grades 3-5), 1:30pm-5:00pm

More information will be coming soon!

I Wrote a Hit Song! Contest Winner

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

Jourdyn, from Reynoldsburg, Ohio, wrote a song called "Heroes" and you can view the lyrics at the I Wrote a Hit Song! webpage. What a cool song! Please stop by and leave a comment for Jourdyn to let her know how much you enjoyed her song.


 SFK Bookclub

I love to read just as much as I love to play music, so I thought I'd make a space in this newsletter to share my favorite books about music. I'll post about all kinds of books: picture books, chapter books, non-fiction, fiction, and poetry. If you have a favorite book to share, please leave a comment below. I'd love to hear about it!

Charlie Parker Played Be Bop by Chris Raschka

This is one of my favorite picture books of all time. The words and the illustrations do a great job of capturing saxophone player Charlie Parker's energetic rhythm and style. Read more about this book...


Songwriting Challenge: Freedom!

I'm always writing about the rules of how a song should be put together: verse, chorus, verse, bridge, and all that jazz. But Charlie Parker and other be-bop musicians wrote music that broke all the rules. Most music emphasized the downbeat, so Charlie played the off-beat. He messed around with strange harmonies and improvisation (making up songs as he went along). His music came out sounding fresh and free...and amazing. It wasn't like anything anyone had ever heard before. Listen to this:

Winter '10 Songwriting Challenge:
Can you write a song that breaks all the rules?

Here are some things to think about:

1. Do you usually rhyme in your songs? DON'T! Or make up a different kind of rhyme scheme. What if you made every word rhyme? Or every fifth word? Could you do it?
   
2. Do you usually use a Verse/Chorus/Verse/Chorus structure? Mix it up! Repeat the verse 3 times before the chorus comes in. Or have your song be all chorus.
   
3. Do you usually tell a story with your songs? Try to do the opposite. Tell nonsense. You could even write a bunch of words down on little pieces of paper, throw them in the air and sing them in the order that they land. 
4. IMPORTANT NOTE: It's okay if it doesn't sound good! When you experiment, you're bound to hit some notes that sound downright awful. But that's okay. Do you think Thomas Edison got the light bulb right on his first try? Great inventors (and musicians) take the parts that work and try them again. Try a few experiments, find the bits that you like, and put them all together in one great song.
5. Have fun!
   

Poll: Shh...We Won't Tell!



If you can't see the poll, just click here. (Once you vote, you'll be able to see other people's answers, too.)