Musical Treasure Hunt – The Search for Emotions in Music

A fun, weekly contest in which each kid chooses a song that expresses the “emotion of the week”

The winner is the one who finds a song that best evokes the emotion of the week, as voted by their peers! The real treasure is helping kids understand how music can be a personal window into emotions and experiences.

In addition, participants:

  • Learn about the building blocks that make up a song
  • Hone their listening skills
  • Get to know each other better by articulating their ideas

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How to…

  • Every Monday, write down the emotion of the week and display it in the room (somewhere prominent). For example, “Fear”
  • Participants spend the rest of the week thinking about what song makes them feel “fear.”
    • You can also explore these themes in your songwriting workshops through the week.
  • Participants write down the artist and title of the song they think best represents the week’s emotion and bring it in on Friday.
  • As a group, listen to each entry, and discuss whether or not it evokes the emotion of the week.
  • Participants should consider:
    • Song form
    • Song key
    • Chord changes
    • Instrumentation
    • Lyrics
    • Production elements
  • At the end of the listening session, participants vote on a winner whose song best represents the emotion of the week.
  • The winner gets to choose the emotion for next week.

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