Adding Lyrics

Introductory Statement: What makes a song different from a melody? (lyrics) You have all composed short melodies in various keys this year. Today, you are going to not only be composers, but also lyricists. When writing a song, which do you think should come first, the lyrics or the melody? Many songwriters will agree with your answer whichever way you answered. In the future, we will reverse the process, but today we are going to start with lyrics and write a melody that fits them.

Songwriters will tell you that they get their inspiration from lots of different sources. You are going to get your inspiration from what you have been studying in science – ecosystems! I have a handout for you with some information about ecosystems. You have probably already covered this in your science studies, but this handout will just give you some helpful reminders. Spend a few minutes looking over the handout.

Now we are going to use the information in the handout to write lyrics to a very short – 4 measure – song. I want you to pull three important facts about one of the levels of organization. These will make up your first three measures. For your fourth measure, I just want you to state the level of organization. For example, the first definition on your sheet is for the ecosystem. I could use the words “interaction,” “with living things,” “non-living, too” for my first three measures, then finish with the word “ecosystem.” Now it’s your turn.  Underline words or phrases you want to use. Now write your lyrics on the Ecosystem Song Writing worksheet. Now we need to figure out what rhythms fit your lyrics. Start by deciding how many syllables will need to fit in each measure. Then decide on your rhythm. I will demonstrate with my Ecosystem Song.

Now we will flip to the other side of the Ecosystem Song Writing worksheet, and decide on our chord tones.  Remember that the shapes are a guide. Your final step is to put your rhythms from the first side of your worksheet with the chord tones to write your song. You will need to follow all of the 10 Simple Rules for Writing Melodies, and use only your chord tones for this song. 

Monitor and assist as needed. Give students the assessment checklist for self-assessment of their progress as they practice. Allow students time to practice both singing and playing their melodies. Have students group with like instruments to learn and practice singing each others’ melodies. 

Song Writing and Performance Checklist (in Resources)