Chapter One: We Got That
Create a lyrical hook that expresses your artistic mission statement in music.
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Your Assignment
- Watch the video in which Soul Science Lab demonstrates how to take the words from your brainstorm and turn them into a hook for your new song.
- Note how Chen plays with the words and stretches them into something that tells a story.
- Return to your brainstorm of all the words and phrases that define your personal culture.
- Play the recording of your rhythmic heartbeat from the previous lesson and start to put your brainstorm words together into a musical phrase. Remember to try telling a story with your hook.
- Record your hook into SoundTrap or another DAW.
- If you don’t have access to SoundTrap, you can still capture your idea. Record your hook using your phone. Use a computer or phone to play your track in the background and have a family member or friend record a video of you reciting the hook.
Explore Other Parts of Make a Joyful Noize
Introduction: Joy in the Artist’s Calling
In this introductory video, Chen and Asante ask you to create your own artistic mission statement as a way of kickstarting your creative process.
Chapter One: We Got That | Lesson One: Community, Context, and Culture
What is your personal definition of culture, and where do you find joy in your life?
Chapter One: We Got That | Lesson Two: Finding the Heartbeat
Listen deeply to your favorite music and define a musical “heartbeat” that you can use as a seed for your own piece of music.
Chapter Two: Free Ya Mind | Lesson One: The Art of Collaboration
Chen and Asante introduce the qualities of strong collaborations and ask you to think about your favorite examples of two artists working together to create music.
Chapter Two: Free Ya Mind | Lesson Two: Reimagine and Remix!
Chen and Asante share some of the musical elements of the song “Free Ya Mind,” and ask you to create your own remix of the song using the stems from the recording session.
Chapter Two: Free Ya Mind | Lesson Three: Flip the Script
How would you create your own original backing track to support the first vocal verse of “Free Ya Mind?”
Chapter Three: Victory | Lesson One: The Mission and Rhythm
Chen and Asante demonstrate how to create a song around the ideas and images expressed in a personal artistic mission statement.
Chapter Three: Victory | Lesson Two: A Soundtrack for Victory
Build the musical accompaniment for the new hook that you created out of your mission statement.
Chapter Three: Victory | Lesson Three: Make a Joyful Noize
Chen and Asante demonstrate how to tell a compelling story through song verses and show you how to shape your new song into a finished artistic statement.