Literature and Writing the Lyrics

🕐 5 min - Titles

• Open the Song library and invite students to have a look at the song titles.
• Each student chooses a song title they like the best.
  • Try to pretend you don't know the songs and just pick the title that speaks to you!
  • Now, imagine a story you would like to tell in a song with such a title!
    • What would you write about?
    • How would you put your own life experience into the lyrics?
    • Would your lyrics be similar to the lyrics of the original song?

🕐 10 min - Exploring the existing lyrics

• Vote with the class and choose a song in the Song library. Keep in mind they will be writing lyrics to this song. Slower songs will probably work best.
• Before listening to the song, tell the students they will have to write down some specific lyrics. They should listen and write down:
  • Some rhyming words;
  • One catchy phrase;
  • 1-2 phrases that they really like.
• In the player, you can start, stop and even slow down the music so the students have a chance to write things down.
• Choose several students to read the lyrics they wrote down.
• Discuss with the students why they chose these parts of the song.
  • What, in your opinion, makes good lyrics?
  • Is the title of the song catchy?

🕐 15 min - Exercise 1 - Writing your own lyrics

• Now turn off the vocal track of the selected song. Explain to the students they are going to try and write some of their own lyrics with the music!
  • They should write lyrics with the original melody in mind. It should make the writing easier this way.
  • They can also use some of the lyrics they wrote down in the beginning of class to help them get started.
• Try and have them write at least one verse or chorus.
• Tips for writing:
  • Write about your day;
  • Write about how you feel;
  • Write about traveling somewhere;
  • Write about something that you really want.

🕐 10 min - Exercise 2 - Performing your own lyrics

• At the end of class ask a few brave souls to present their new lyrics. Allow the students to speak or sing them along with the music.

🕐 5 min - Discussion

• How are the lyrics you/your peers wrote different from the original lyrics?
• Having written the lyrics, would you give your song a different title than the original one? If yes, how would you call it? Explain!
• What would you prefer: writing lyrics to an existing melody or composing a melody to existing lyrics?

Challenge students to go beyond the lesson by…

• Finishing the lyrics of the song you started during the lesson.
• Exploring the song library and writing lyrics to a different song.