Part One: History, Power, and the Purpose of Music
Discover the different origins and purposes of songwriting, and see how words, melody, and music can affect yourself and your community.
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Your First Assignment
- Review the songs that Bridget played to represent different purposes: uniting, teaching, and healing.
Uniting Songs- Sam Cooke: “A Change is Gonna Come”
- For a treat, here is another version of the same song.
- Bob Marley: “One Love”
- Rihanna: “We Found Love”
- Sam Cooke: “A Change is Gonna Come”
- Select one of those songs and answer the following questions about that song.
- Name of the song you selected:
- Purpose of the song (uniting, teaching, or healing):
- Why did you like this song and how did this song serve its purpose?
- How did this song make you feel?
- What do you think the songwriter did in the music to make you feel that way?
- As you work on your own original song, what do you want to take from this song?
Your Second Assignment
- Identify three new songs, either from online research or from family suggestions. Select one uniting song, one teaching song, and one healing song.
- Answer the following questions for each of the three songs:
- Why did you like this song and how did this song serve its purpose?
- How did this song make you feel?
- What do you think the songwriter did in the music to make you feel that way?
- As you work on your own original song, what do you want to take from this song?
- Meditate for one minute using the meditation from the video.
- Start your original song by choosing the purpose of your song: uniting, teaching, or healing.
- Complete the Alchemy Exercise as outlined below.
- Fill out the chart, defining your “stone” and your “gold.”
- Define one sentence for each.
Alchemy Exercise
Depending on the purpose of your song, describe your “stone” and your “gold.”
Explore Other Parts of the Songwriting Workshop
Songwriting Workshop | Part Two: Inspiration
Try out several different approaches to brainstorming and generating song ideas as you look for inspiration within your life and environment.
Songwriting Workshop | Part Three: The Chorus
Find the heart of your song and its most powerful moment as you learn how to write a chorus that effectively expresses what you want to share.
Songwriting Workshop | Part Four: Writing the Verses
Experiment with different lyrical styles and poetic approaches to telling your story as you dig in to writing the verses for your original song.
Songwriting Workshop | Part Five: The Bridge and Completing Your Song
Learn about the purpose of a bridge and figure out if your song needs one before finishing up and reflecting on your journey.
Video Credits
Director of Photography: John Miller