Music Challenge Week 5 - 18th May 2020
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WRITE A JINGLE, OR AN ANTHEM, OR A SONG ABOUT BRIGHTON & HOVE
Please upload your finished song to the Music Folder on Seesaw before JUNE 2020.
Please upload your finished song to the Music Folder on Seesaw before JUNE 2020.
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YOUR JINGLE/ANTHEM/SONG...
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Scroll down to hear some examples and suggestions
Brighton & Hove Anthem
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Brighton, Brighton, Brighton and Hove
Brighton, Brighton, Brighton and Hove Right by the sea, best place to be, Guaranteed to put a smile on your face Brighton and Hove, Brighton and Hove Wide diversity, eccentricity, unique, happy and proud Rich vitality, strong vivacity, sing it LOUD ! Brighton, Brighton, Brighton and Hove Brighton, Brighton, Brighton and Hove Right by the sea, best place to be, Guaranteed to put a smile on your face Brighton and Hove, Brighton and Hove, Brighton and Hove |
Brighton Brothers - BN Is the Best
Brighton Brothers, (Bear, Herbie and Wilby) entered the Battle of the Bands 2019 with a song called BN is the Best.
In their lyrics they sing about what they love about our city. Hopefully their song can serve as inspiration for you.
In their lyrics they sing about what they love about our city. Hopefully their song can serve as inspiration for you.
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1. Brighton is my city, it's where I wanna be
Don't wanna be in Chelsea, Tottenham or Man City I wanna be in Brighton, splashing by the sea In this town is where I wanna be B-N is the best, B-N beats all the rest, B-N is the best, puts the others to the test Straight or gay is fine here, ‘cos no-one gives a frown Everyone is welcome in this town 2. I was saying to a seagull, "Don't take my fish and chips!” Went up the i360… took lots of pretty pics. Sunday lunch at Fiveways, Marrocco's by the sea, In this town is where I need to be |
B-N is the best, B-N beats all the rest,
B-N is the best, puts the others to the test Straight or gay is fine here, ‘cos no-one gives a frown Everyone is welcome in this town 3. The footy team were cheering, is blue and white in stripes But the party hat we're wearing is green all day and night. The sun is shining yellow, it all just feels so right In this town is where I have to be B-N is the best, B-N beats all the rest, B-N is the best, puts the others to the test Straight or gay is fine here, ‘cos no-one gives a frown Everyone is welcome in this town |
Here are some images for inspiration:
Here are some more specific song-writing challenge options:
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WRITE A SONG WITH A COLLABORATOR
When you work with someone else to write a song, it's called collaboration. The songwriters are called collaborators. Collaboration is sometimes hard because you don't always get to do things exactly your own way. But someone in your family will have some great ideas too, and together you can come up with something you never would have imagined on your own. And besides, writing with family members is really fun! |
Famous Example: Let's Get Together
The songwriters who wrote the song Let's Get Together were two brothers, Richard and Robert Sherman. Together, they wrote so many great songs, including all the songs from Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book. The Sherman Brothers wrote hit songs together for over 50 YEARS!
The songwriters who wrote the song Let's Get Together were two brothers, Richard and Robert Sherman. Together, they wrote so many great songs, including all the songs from Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book. The Sherman Brothers wrote hit songs together for over 50 YEARS!
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Don't know what to write about? Here are some ideas to get you started:
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Some things to think about:
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WRITE A RISING/FALLING SONG
Sometimes a song's melody can help to tell the story of the song. If a song is about climbing a mountain, the melody might go from LOW to HIGH to help paint the picture of what is happening in the song. Click here for a good example in Climb Every Mountain from the Sound of Music. See if you can write a song where both the melody and the words are rising or falling at the same time. Famous Example: Ring-a-Ring 'O Roses |
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Ring-a-ring 'o roses, a pocket full of posies, atishoo, atishoo, we all fall down
What happens in the last line? The words are about falling, but also the melody falls from HIGH to LOW.
Some things to think about: Your falling song could be about anything: a cat falling from a tree, a sleeping boy falling out of bed, roses falling from someone's arms, or even falling in love. Just make sure that the melody also falls from HIGH to LOW or LOW to HIGH.
Bonus: Add some actions. In "Ring-a-Ring 'O Roses," the singers fall straight down. But if your song is about falling leaves, how would you fall? In a straight line, or slowly, drifting side to side? How about if you fell down a hill... would it be more of a tumbling action? Have fun!
What happens in the last line? The words are about falling, but also the melody falls from HIGH to LOW.
Some things to think about: Your falling song could be about anything: a cat falling from a tree, a sleeping boy falling out of bed, roses falling from someone's arms, or even falling in love. Just make sure that the melody also falls from HIGH to LOW or LOW to HIGH.
Bonus: Add some actions. In "Ring-a-Ring 'O Roses," the singers fall straight down. But if your song is about falling leaves, how would you fall? In a straight line, or slowly, drifting side to side? How about if you fell down a hill... would it be more of a tumbling action? Have fun!
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WRITE A SONG WITH A BRIDGE
The VERSE and CHORUS are the building blocks of popular music. Lots of modern songs also have a BRIDGE. Just like a real-life bridge that takes you from one side to another, a musical bridge brings you to a completely different place in the song.
Listen to Bill Withers singing Lean On Me. Pay close attention and see if you can hear how the melody (the part you can hum) and the rhythm change the minute he starts singing "Just call on me, brother, when you need a hand..." |
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Did you hear how the music went to a completely different place? That's the bridge!
Here are some things to think about :
Here are some things to think about :
- Take the melody somewhere new. Is the chorus low? Sing high during the bridge. Change the mood.
- Take the rhythm somewhere new. Go faster, or slower, add some claps like in Lean On Me, some pauses, or even some body percussion.
- Don't forget to come back to the chorus, or another verse in the end.
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WRITE A LIST SONG
When songwriters are trying to get an idea across, they often use specific examples to help the listener know exactly what they are talking about. Some songs take this even farther. The whole song can become a list of examples, and we call it a List Song. A list song usually gives a list of examples in each verse, followed by a line that sums it all up. |
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Here are some things to think about:
1. Think of one sentence or phrase that sums up what you want to say. Use this as your chorus.
Famous examples: These are a few of my favourite things, Let's Fall in Love, These Foolish Things Remind Me of You, It's the End of the World as we Know It.
2. How many things can you think of that fit with your sum-up sentence?
See if you can fill a whole page with examples.
3. Pick the best ones and arrange them into verses.
4. Do you want it to rhyme?
Famous Example: My Favourite Things by Rogers & Hammerstein.
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens;
Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens;
Brown paper packages tied up with strings;
These are a few of my favourite things.
Each verse is a list of the songwriter's favourite things, ending in a sum-up line. Listen to the PS22 Chorus sing the whole song
1. Think of one sentence or phrase that sums up what you want to say. Use this as your chorus.
Famous examples: These are a few of my favourite things, Let's Fall in Love, These Foolish Things Remind Me of You, It's the End of the World as we Know It.
2. How many things can you think of that fit with your sum-up sentence?
See if you can fill a whole page with examples.
3. Pick the best ones and arrange them into verses.
4. Do you want it to rhyme?
Famous Example: My Favourite Things by Rogers & Hammerstein.
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens;
Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens;
Brown paper packages tied up with strings;
These are a few of my favourite things.
Each verse is a list of the songwriter's favourite things, ending in a sum-up line. Listen to the PS22 Chorus sing the whole song
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WRITE A BLUES SONG
We've all felt down in the dumps. Lost a dog. Lost a friend. It's raining all day. We're not allowed to go outside. Bike broke again. That's the blues. The deep down underground blues. |
This Songwriting Challenge is about gathering up all that gloom and doom and putting it into a song. A BLUES SONG. There's a funny thing about singing blues songs - no matter how bad you feel to begin with, singing the blues always makes you feel better.
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Here are some things to think about: It's all about feeling it.
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Try to write an AAB Blues.
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For those of you with a ukulele, guitar or keyboard at home, have a go at the 12-bar blues as an accompaniment.
Famous Example: Lost Your Head Blues by Bessie Smith.
When you were lonesome, I treated you kind
When you were lonesome, I treated you kind
But since you've got money, it has changed your mind
Days are lonesome, nights are so long
Days are lonesome, nights are so long
I'm a good gal, but I just been treated wrong
Famous Example: Lost Your Head Blues by Bessie Smith.
When you were lonesome, I treated you kind
When you were lonesome, I treated you kind
But since you've got money, it has changed your mind
Days are lonesome, nights are so long
Days are lonesome, nights are so long
I'm a good gal, but I just been treated wrong
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WRITE A PICTURE SONG
Sometimes, songs just pop into our heads when we are not even consciously trying. Other times, it can be hard to come up with an idea for a song. One good way to come up with an idea for a song is to look at a picture, and try to tell a story about that picture. |
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Remember that a story has a BEGINNING, MIDDLE, and END. Your song should have these three elements too. Can you write or sing a song about one of these pictures of Brighton and Hove?
WRITE A COLOURFUL SONG
In Gary Golio's book, Sounds Like a Rainbow: a Story of Young Jimi Hendrix, he writes that Jimi tried to "paint with sound." Each different sound was like a new colour in a box of paints. A series of high-pitched screeches might make you feel one way. A low, steady note repeated over and over might feel completely different. Colours, just like sounds, can make us feel things. How do you feel when you see a bright, vibrant red? How about a pale, light blue? Or a deep brown?
In Gary Golio's book, Sounds Like a Rainbow: a Story of Young Jimi Hendrix, he writes that Jimi tried to "paint with sound." Each different sound was like a new colour in a box of paints. A series of high-pitched screeches might make you feel one way. A low, steady note repeated over and over might feel completely different. Colours, just like sounds, can make us feel things. How do you feel when you see a bright, vibrant red? How about a pale, light blue? Or a deep brown?
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Here are some things to think about:
Famous Example: Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix |
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