Creative Music-Making Resources
Classroom-tested lessons, tools, and strategies for helping students create, improvise, write songs, and take greater ownership of their music-making.
Songwriting
Write lyrics and sing them over a chord progression. Easy, fast, and fun!
Improvisation
Help students make musical choices and create music in real time.
Teaching Strategies
Build classrooms around agency, motivation, and student ownership.
Songwriting
Help students move from ideas and lyrics to complete songs using common chord progressions and lyric templates.
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How to Use Our Songwriting Resources
Common Chord Progressions
Use this library of chord progressions and background tracks to put lyrics to music.
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Write Your First Song
Write a four line, one rhyme verse. As easy as it gets!
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Verse / Chorus Formula
Introducing the chorus. Use this template to make a verse that sets up a chorus.
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Songwriter Swap
Class songwriting relay. Write a line of a song and pass it to someone else.
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Commercial Jingles
Write a short song about a product. Guaranteed to get stuck in your head!
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Write a Traditional Blues Song
Learn the lyric form of the traditional blues and sing your troubles away.
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Write a Cartoon Theme Song
Cartoon theme songs are a great way to explore character and setting.
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Write a Folk Song
This quick and easy formula produces choruses that are great for group singing.
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Write a Historic Ballad
Use these resources to research a historical person and write a song about them.
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Writing List Songs
Turn a list of things into a song in this challenging and fun template
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Building Bridges in Songs
A bridge is a special section found in some songs. Learn to write them.
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32 Bar Song Form
Try out 32 bar song form if you’re looking for a different form that’s a bit of a throwback.
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Improvisation
Combining experimentation with practice, music theory, and ear training to make music in real time.
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Getting Started with Improvisation
Activities & Jam Packs
Dorian Jam Pack
Easy beginner improvisation Jam Pack for Band, Orchestra, Modern Band
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Pentatonic Jam Pack
Easy beginner improvisation Jam Pack for Band, Orchestra, Modern Band
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Jamming on the White Keys
Background tracks for Jamming of the notes in the C Scale.
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Hot Cross Buns… With Jam
Record Jam Pack for Hot Cross Buns with improv scales and a composition lesson.
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Tools & References
Music Theory Cheat Sheet
About as much music theory as you can put on one page. Scales, chords, and more.
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Pentatonic Scales Sheets
Pentatonic scale sheets for winds, guitar, bass, and ukulele.
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Modern Band Note Names
Note name diagrams for guitar, keyboard, ukulele, and bass.
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Notes in Chords
Reference handouts with the note names in major, minor, diminished, and 7th chords.
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Teaching Strategies
Practical approaches for building student ownership, motivation, and independent musicianship.
Science of Student Motivation
How do we cultivate motivation in our classrooms? Science can help!
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Selecting Music with Students
When students have input in the selection process for music, they learn so much. Here’s how to do it in large ensembles.
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Student-Centered Feedback Sequence
These are resources on haw to give students feedback in a way that helps them give themselves feedback.
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