Song form

3 Quick Songwriting Activities

Three proven ways to get participants engaged in songwriting right away 

Songwriting and especially lyric writing can be a daunting experience especially if a participant has never done it before. The three examples below get participants writing original songs as quickly as possible using techniques used by professional songwriters. Participants will learn basic songwriting/lyric writing skills and techniques and work as a team to create original songs/lyrics and record/perform their own original songs!

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How to… 

A “blank canvas” can be intimidating for even the most experienced artist. The following examples have built-in “creative limitations” to help keep participants focused on completing the task at hand and sets them up for success. Keep your participants accountable to work within the boundaries of the writing activity or songwriting technique and watch how it helps drive participants’ creativity. 

Here are 3 examples of successful songwriting activities:

Example 1: “Just write” – Encourage participants to explore stream-of-consciousness lyric writing. 

  • Pick any topic (really ANY topic… e.g. “water bottle” was used once and worked great!)
  • For 5-10 minutes, participants write in a notebook (or on their phones) without stopping.
  • Encourage participants to go back through their notes and look for lines or words that jump out.
    • Help them look for metaphors or build a story behind the theme they chose.
  • Participants can then rewrite or continue to develop lyrics into a full song.

Example 2: “Scaffolding” – Create an original song using the song form and chord changes of another song.

  • Participants choose a song they like and are familiar with and analyze the song form and chords.
  • Participants choose a new theme/topic and write new lyrics to the verse, chorus, bridge, etc.
  • Participants then take their new lyrics and rewrite the melody of the song.
    • Optional: You can also choose a new chord progression, key, tempo, and/or whatever works
  • Record and/or perform!

Example 3: “Changing Perspective” – This activity places a participant/s in their peer’s shoes, encouraging empathy and shift in perspective and voice.

  • Divide participants into pairs.
  • Participants share a “small moment” experience from their day.
    • Optional: Pairs can pick a topic or theme so their lyrics are similar.
  • Loop a beat or chord progression (whatever feels right for the group).
  • Each individual writes lyrics about their partner’s experience (in first person).
  • Participants then add or change tempo/beat/melodies to adjust to the mood.
  • Participants can then rewrite or continue to develop lyrics into a full song.
  • Record and/or perform!
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