I can still remember the first song that I composed on my guitar. I don’t remember why I wrote it or even what it was for, but I do remember thinking that I had created something new and interesting and, importantly, that even with my limited knowledge of my instrument, I was still able to make it my own. I only had a beginner's acoustic guitar that my Grandfather had given to me as a gift. Ironically, I think he got it for me because I asked him if I could borrow his guitar, and at that age, not knowing how nice his guitar was, I think he figured it would be safer for me to have my own. After a couple of years in high school, learning all sorts of styles and playing in multiple performances with my rock band and my high school jazz band, I decided I wanted to try recording. I had recently received a new computer and wanted to try out “GarageBand” and learn how it worked. What I found was as soon as I decided I was going to record something, it focused my attention real fast as now I had to have “something to say.” Being in this mindset, I realized that I wasn’t a great lyrics writer, but I did like creating melodies and parts on my guitar, so I gave it a go!
It was a fun experience writing this song, but importantly, it introduced me to a whole new world of musical composition. I think that everyone is creative; it’s just a matter of finding what they are passionate about and what they want to share with the world.
Since we are a music teaching studio, we often encounter organic situations where our students want to write their own songs, and we encourage them to do so! So, if composing is so important to the process of learning and sharing music, how do we:
Continue to encourage and foster this creativity in our young learners and
Use games and “chance” to help create a productive “trial and error” process for composing.
Benefits of Composing for Young Music Learners:
There are many benefits to learning an instrument and music in general, but in the same way, as we’ve previously discussed, that playing music in groups can help with ear training and confidence building; composing music has its own benefits as well. When we are composing music, we are essentially creating something new, so in the same way that drawing, painting, or writing can be an excellent form of expression, composing and writing songs is also a great avenue for personal expression and creativity. Additionally, composing exercises critical thinking and problem-solving since half of the job in composing is expressing an idea, analyzing that idea, and then deciding if it is worth keeping or if it’s best to try something new! We at Music U love these aspects of composing since we are always looking for ways to "develop the whole child one note at a time."
Another benefit of composing is how it can motivate a student to take ownership of their craft. If they learn how to express themselves via their instrument by creating something new, they can start to pursue more ways to do so and learn the good habit of practicing on their instrument. It makes the instrument seem like more than just a thing they pull out once a week during music lessons.
Fun and Engaging Composition Exercises:
And now, the fun part! Here are ideas for composition exercises for students of any level:
Dice Games: It’s amazing how many different ways you can use a dice in music lessons and in practice time, but specifically, a dice can be very useful during composition for just getting ideas out there. Some examples include:
Dice roll for what chords to use from a diatonic progression (1 = C, 2 = Dm, etc.)
Dice roll for skips and steps in melodies (even numbers are skips, and odd numbers are steps)
Dice roll for intervals (each number will tell you how far to jump from one note to another)
Dice roll for letters of a C 5-finger scale (1 = C note, 2 = D note, etc.)
As a fun bonus, you can make custom dice and include whatever you want on the sides! Letters, Rhythms, you name it!
Here are some composition exercises for students of an intermediate or higher level:
Speak-A-Rhythm: Have lyrics that you would like to add a melody to? Start by speaking the words and looking for any rhythms that are inherent when you speak. You can also play around with this to find the rhythm that you like the best. Pro tip: If you want to make the melody more memorable, try to match the rhythmic ideas for two lines of lyrics!
Choose Your Own Adventure: Take a song that you are already working on and change the ending! This is a great way to learn what sounds good in comparison to the original version. You can do the last measure or even last line of music, whichever is preferred.
Reharminze a Melody: This is a fun option for any advanced students/musicians. A great way to spark inspiration is to take a song that you already know or a piece you are working on and change the chords! You can do this by simply picking new chords that you already know or by using one of the “dice games” listed above. Then, after you’ve got a new chord progression, write a new melody to that progression and now you have a new song!
Also, it is worth mentioning that all of the above ideas can be worked on individually or collaboratively! It can be fun and productive to “co-write” your compositions with a teacher, friend, or family member.
Building Confidence and Fostering a Lifelong Love for Music:
Learning an instrument doesn't have to be a “one size fits all” approach. Some students like the weekly tasks of learning a new musical concept and how it can iterate on what they already know. Some students are more motivated by the stage, and the idea of performance helps them to focus on learning one song, which can translate to good habits for learning new songs and concepts in the future. And others love to create; they love this joy that creating new things brings them and we believe that no matter the student, they can always have something interesting to say with their instrument. We think that the students who end up having the greatest success are the ones who tackle all of the above aspects of learning music. Incorporating all these into music education can showcase the many facets of how magical the art of music can be. If a student doesn’t just learn how to “read notes” and “practice their scales” but also learn to love music for all of the ways it can show them how to express themselves, then they can be transformed into a lifelong learner and discover all of the joy that learning an instrument can bring.
If you or your kiddo are interested in learning an instrument with Music U, let us know!
