Songwriting Calendar

Music 1 English 1 Music 2 English 2

Week of 1/26—

Intro to the class

Motives/

Theme

All together (in music lab?)

Introduction of the class— overview + assignments

Student aspirations, accomplishments; ice breaker

All together again—1/2 music—1/2 English

Music—Motives

English— Themes—What kind of songs should you write about?

Motives—listening journal; discussion

recording/

composing—

students begin creating their own motives

Theme

What kind of songs to write?

Stories:

Mr. Tanner

Let Him Roll

Far From Me

Choose an artist whose lyrics you want to explore

2/2

Motives/ Theme

Motives—

listening journal; discussion

students continue working on motives

Theme—Journal writing on theme and topics

Continued work on artists—explicating a song

Motives—listening journal; discussion

Three motives due

Rhyme schemes—

AABB; ABAB; ABCB—practice for melody writing

2/9

Melody/

Rhyme Scheme

Melody— listening journal; discussion

Work on melody in lab

Clever rhyming—

enjambment

Peer editing and discussion for essay—due on Friday

Food preparations for next class

One melody due

Essay—analytical—what makes a good song (what makes a song good?) with a discussion of three songs from a favorite artist (one of these songs will be used during student presentation).

Class—round-the-class discussion (4-minutes a piece)—with food

2/16

WINTER

VACATION

2/23

Chords

Chords / chord progressions

Topics journal

Rhyming in the I-IV-V quatrain

Two chord progression templates due—

One I-IV-V and one free choice

First student song presentation (10 min.)

Three rhymed quatrains (AABB, ABAB, ABCB) due

Blues—several blues songs—lyrics (funny, sad)

~~Bob Dylan discussion—look at various classics~~

3/2

Blues

Songwriter’s Workshop—

writing and performing

Blues--patterns

student song presentation

Blues—

Samples of rhyme patterns; samples of my songs

Focus on clever and/or funny rhymes; enjambment

songwriting workshop

Blues

student song presentation

More writing workshop

Blues Jam with original songs (everyone plays) percussion

3/9

Blues

Songwriter’s Workshop—

writing and performing

Blues

student song presentation

Look at more blues lyrics—discussion of what makes them good

Collaborating—

working in pairs

Blues

One blues song due

student song presentation

Begin weekly handing in at least one original song—with one-page reflection

Original song #1—Blues song lyrics—at least 6 verses—with one-page reflection

--workshop songs (3) (including music is optional)

3/16

Song Form

Songwriter’s Workshop—

writing and performing

Song Form—

verse/chorus

student song presentation

Verse/chorus songwriting—

Examples + discussion

Collaborating— working in pairs

Song Form

student song presentation

Original song #2—with one-page reflection (at least one of the next three must be verse/chorus)

--workshop songs (3) (including music is optional)

3/23

Song Form

Songwriter’s Workshop—

writing and performing

Song Form

student song presentation (x2)

Songs with refrains but no chorus—Dylan

Collaborating— working in pairs

Song Form

student song presentation (x2)

Original song #3—

with one-page reflection

--workshop songs (4) (including music is optional)

3/30

Song Form

Songwriter’s Workshop—

writing and performing

Song Form

One verse/chorus song due

student song presentation (x2)

[LAST DAY OF TERM 3]

Collaborating— working in pairs

[FIRST DAY OF TERM 4]

Song Form

Original song #4—

with one-page reflection

--workshop songs (3) (including music is optional)

TERM

FOUR

4/6

Songwriting

Technology and Collaboration

Rehearsing and Revising

Technology and collaboration—producing the song

Open workshop of songs—6 songs (8 minutes each) —focus on songs that will likely make it to the CD

All together—1/2 music—1/2 English

Music—song production

English—continue to workshop songs—three songs

NO SCHOOL—

GOOD FRIDAY

4/13

Songwriting

Technology and Collaboration

Rehearsing and Revising

Song production

Open workshop of songs—3 songs (8 minutes each)—focus on songs that will likely make it to the CD

Final questions from the workshop

Song production

Four songs REVISED due (with revisions) and reflection on the process of their creation—whole class discussion of songwriting experience

[Vacation HW— decide which song will go on the CD]

4/20

SPRING

VACATION

4/27

Recording the Song

[all classes in the Lab or other appropriate venues]

--Practice and recording