Songwriting Sunday: Let's Give This a Try...

Okay, all. I am here, trying out a new blog series that I haven't really tried out yet, but that is something that supports what I am already doing as a music therapist. Here we go - Songwriting Sunday!!

Now, songwriting is something that I do all the time. I hope I'm not alone in this, because songwriting is also something that is just fun. After all, we had to go through all of our music theory courses, so why not use that knowledge for something that enriches our professional existence and that makes others look at us in awe.

Songwriting is a superpower!

Seriously. Who else can figure out melodies, harmonies, pitch centers, rhythms, tempi, lyrics, dynamics, styles, forms, and all that in a short amount of time. There aren't many people out there who can take an idea and turn it into a piece of music. We are part of a small group of people who have these skills. We need to celebrate that as much as possible!

(Is anyone's imposter syndrome starting to rear its ugly head?? I am currently quashing the little voice that is trying to scream, "But, you only write songs about silly things! How can you claim to have this as a superpower??" Down, ugly voice, DOWN!!)

So, how do I engage in songwriting?

If I am in the middle of a session with clients, then I just go for it, but I often sit down to write songs in non-clinical settings, and that has a bit more formality associated with it. I have a songwriting kit that includes the following materials:

• super-sticky post-it notes - if you have been reading this blog for a long time, then you know that these are my go-to materials for just about anything and everything I do.
• pencil - mechanical if possible with extra lead just in case.
• a GOOD eraser - I don't mess with the erasers that come with mechanical pencils because they usually are not what I want from an eraser, so I splurge to get some good erasers to keep in my songwriting kits.
• sheet music paper - I am going to be making some small sheet music paper pieces to bind into small notepads - or, I will look on Amazon to see if anyone else has done this... hm. They do have small notepads, but I can make them for less money, so I am going to do that - NEW PROJECT!! Right now, I have a couple of spiral bound notebooks (large) that have sheet music paper in them, but they are not really conducive to taking pictures to fit in my phone - smaller pieces of paper will be better for publication.

Anyway, that's my songwriting kit. It includes all the things I need for writing songs and doesn't take up too much space. It is small enough that I can keep it with me in my purse and complete enough that I can write an entire song without needing anything else.

When I sit down to write songs, I tend to do topic-based writing. For example, I have written so many songs about different topics in my sing about songs series - summer, winter, autumn, spring, fun and games, the Olympics, events happening in different months, animals, food, history, social-emotional learning, all sorts of things... So, I tend to go with a specific topic or goal that I am trying to enrich. The last spate of songs that I wrote (where they just came out one after another) were movement songs - things to encourage my clients to move their bodies in different manners.

If I am sitting at my desk at home, I use my songwriting software instead of the sheet music, but that is the last thing that I use in my process. 

For writing melodies, I use solfege to indicate different pitches. If someone who does not know solfege, my notes on my post-its would look very confusing, but it makes sense to me. I indicate as much of the rhythm as I can - rhythm is difficult for me to notate correctly, but I keep trying. I do best with rhythm when I can hear it back via my songwriting software - I can hear when it is not the way I am performing it, but I can't always match my performance with my notation without hearing it. What did I do without this software?? Answer? I made lots of mistakes!

I usually start with lyrics, but there are times when all parts of the music come at the same time. I love it when songs pop into my head fully formed, but that is rarity. So, I tend to start with lyrics. Often, the melody and the harmony and the rhythm come at the same time.

I write down as much information as I have at any time on my post-it notes (or in my ideas book, if I am at my work desk). I have learned that I have to record things as soon as they come into my brain, or I will not remember any of it later. If I do not have access to paper or a writing utensil, then I have learned to enjoy the song as presented and then let it go. This has been one of the biggest challenges for me when I am in the middle of improvising songs with clients - watching their responses to the music, wanting to replicate those responses later, but not being able to remember ANY of the music after the session ends, and I have time to sit down and write the music down. I have had so many songs come and go, and I continue to learn to enjoy them in the moment without castigating myself when I am unable to remember them later on.

Songwriting happens. Songwriting has been an absolute necessity for me in my life as a music therapist, and I hope that this series will encourage me to explore this part of my profession with more intention.