Song Writing

Year 10 Listening - Songwriting Methods

INTRODUCTION

DISCUSSION & TASK (done in class)
What is a good song?
This sounds like a very simple question, but it’s not. Ask the members of your group for their definitions of what a good song is and then summarise their responses.

Summary of discussion task - What is a Good Song?

WORKSHOP 1 - In Search Of A Title

DISCUSSION & TASK (ref. pages 9-10)
Go through the list of song titles:

‘Suicide Blonde’ - INXS
‘Beds Are Burning’ - Midnight Oil
‘String Of Pearls’ - Deborah Conway
‘Distant Sun’ - Crowded House
‘These Here Are Crazy Times’ - Boom Crash Opera
‘Throw Your Arms Around Me’ - Hunters and Collectors
‘Tip Of My Tongue’ - Diesel
‘Lygon St. Limbo’ - Skyhooks

...and choose three which immediately suggest words or ideas to you and other people in your group. Then write the titles on the lines provided. Conduct word association tests on yourself and others and write the responses on the lines below each title.
You can word associate with one or two words at a time or all the words together e.g.
‘Suicide Blonde’ - INXS

Suicide: death, kill, self, knives, guns, pills, etc.
Blonde: hair, sun, colour, bleach, long (blonde hair), etc.
Suicide Blonde: looks to kill, drop dead good looks, blonde bombshell, etc.

There is no ‘right’ answer to this sort of test. For the moment it doesn’t matter if the song is not actually about the ideas suggested to you by the title. This is another issue we will examine a little later.

Name *

First

Last

Song title No.1 *

Comment about song title No.1 *

Song title No.2 *

Comment about song title No.2 *

Song title No.3 *

Comment about song title No.3 *

Submit

DISCUSSION & TASK (ref. page 13)
Using the three songs you chose to word associate on pages 9-10 write a brief summary of what you think each song is most likely to be about (i.e. its subject matter). If you actually know what the song is about then you can write that down. Either will do for the sake of this task.

Name *

First

Last

Song title No.1 *

What's song No.1 about? *

Song title No.2 *

What's song No.2 about? *

Song title No.3 *

What's song No.3 about? *

Submit

DISCUSSION & TASK (ref page 14)
Write down some general subjects which interest you or you feel strongly about.

When choosing your subjects don’t be too obscure or esoteric e.g. “The best things about modern surfboards”. Give your song wider appeal by choosing a more universal subject such as relationships, changes, environmental concerns, parties, music, etc.

If you write about your personal experience of these things then there is a good chance you will find many people in the audience have had similar experiences and they were kind of ‘half-thinking’ about what you have managed to clearly put down in words.

Name *

First

Last

Comment *

Submit

Year 10 Listening - Songwriting Methods

INTRODUCTION

​WORKSHOP 1 - In Search Of A Title

WORKSHOP 1 - In Search Of A Title