I was in a lesson with a teenage student when I saw they were writing down the lyrics to a new song using an app. Within the app she was able to look up rhyming words, synonyms, antonyms, download beats, and more. I was really excited by the idea of this app and had to share it with you all! I have not personally used it, but it looks really interesting! The App is called MOGUL and is for the iPhone and iPad. The following is part of a description from http://prmac.com/release-id-46722.htm Songwriting: MOGUL is a simple to use, yet fully featured songwriting app. Songwriter’s can use the built in reference tools to define words and find rhymes, synonyms and antonyms. Words can be collected and saved in an idea bank for later use. It allows users to create and store all of their lyrics in one place and for the serious songwriter it provides the ability to easily search and sort through hundreds of documents. Recording Studio: MOGUL comes equipped with three vocal tracks for recording audio and one beat Read More
Tag: songwriting
Songwriting – Word Blob Inspiration
Even though writing a song doesn’t have to be hard, coming up with the right words can be tricky. I find this especially true when working with teens and adolescents who are interested in writing a song, but have no idea where to start. So, we look for ways to strike up some ideas and channel that creative spirit. Sometimes, just by talking out loud to themselves or to me, an idea is formed and the right words come spilling out! If they get stuck, I offer this simple idea to get things moving. Create a word blob (I know there are other names for it…this is just the one I use. Quick example below) A mess of words on a page all related to whatever topic you want to talk about. It doesn’t have to be pretty. You don’t have to use all of the words you come up with. You can use whatever medium you prefer. Write as many words as you can think. Don’t hesitate, just do! Write now, edit later. The point is to just get your Read More
Tap, Clap, Jump, and Dance – A Simple Movement Song
Songs don’t always have to be complicated. This super simple song was invented while in the car, during one of my many travel days. I recorded it in the voice memo app on my phone and refined it when I got home. This is the final product of a 5 minute idea in the car! ENJOY Read More
Mad Libs and Rhyming Words for Songwriting
Today, I have two more simple ideas for quick and easy song writing in a music therapy session! With some of my clients working on both academic and speech goals, Mad Libs are a great way to get them participating. I either look for free online Mad Libs I can print, use this online resource in my session, or create my own story. I then have clients fill in the appropriate type of word to complete the story. To make it musical, we keep a steady beat, add appropriate instrumentation, identify instruments that go with the story, or add a simple melody and chords. This has been a great way to work on articulation, rate of speech, and academic concepts with a couple of my clients. Another simple thing we have done is writing out rhyming words on strips of paper, then arranging them in a way that makes some sense, adding filler words as needed. To make it musical we add a beat and simple melody. We then rearrange the words to create the second line of Read More
Music Therapy Songwriting
I am so excited to be talking about one of my favorite topics this week… SONGWRITING! I love songwriting (if you couldn’t already tell from my music page)! I write new songs nearly every day of the week. Some of them stick and become recorded, published works, where as others are never heard by another soul. Songwriting doesn’t have to be a serious process, but I promise, the more you do it the better you will get. My songwriting practice occurs all day, every day, singing to the dog, singing to myself in the car, recapping my day in song format, etc. During piano lessons, I’ll spontaneously create songs to give instructions or teach a new concept and my students ask, “how did you do that?” Easy, I sing my thoughts and ideas and occasionally come up with great rhymes. It’s that simple. Sometimes, my songs are more thought out and start with an idea on a piece of paper that gradually evolves into lyrics with a chorus and verses that take a week or more to complete. Often, I’m Read More