Make a song

TRAINING MANUAL LINKS – WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? WHY? HOW?

The video above, about a Chicken Salad Wrap recipe, it includes songs invented, on the spot, by 5th graders at Ashley Elementary.

Sometimes it’s fun to add some music to a story.  It’s tempting to use canned music that’s been created by someone else, and that can be fine for in-school projects.  But if you’re going to post the story to the web, keep in mind that a lot of the favorite music that we here in the world is copyrighted, and if you don’t have permission to post it on the web, that can be a problem.  Sometimes, you can get permission to use someone’s music, OR you can find canned music that’s copyright free.  OR, there’s another way, that adds even more of a student flavor to what they do . . .

Inventing songs and making beats is a natural for many young journalists.  Some are experienced singers and take to this fast.  Others never knew they could be singers and performers and discover a talent.  Our goal at Eatyourradio is to share what KIDS have to say, so we love it when students invent their own songs.  Here’s how you can do it!

  1. Ask your team about a key idea they want to get across (1-3 words is ideal)
  2. Ask them to start saying that phrase 10 times in a row.  Try it yourself to get them started.  You’ll start to notice that they get into a rhythm and that they settle into a sort of melody.
  3. Say the phrase back to the group, sharing how you’re hearing the rhythm and the melody.  Ask them to make even MORE of a rhythm and melody this time, and START RECORDING
  4. Record the team saying the phrase at least 10 times in a singing way.
  5. Ask them to choose 1 WORD and make that into a song in a similar way, and record that, too.
  6. Ask them to HUM the song, and record a minute of the team humming.
  7. Do the same with beats.  You need about a minute of beat to find the right parts.
  8. You can use all these different recorded parts to mix together and blend into the story or announcement the team is doing.  The student-created “music” adds beauty and interest.  And . . . You’ll be surprised how often these steps actually make a song!