The Creative Musician: Write a Song Melody

Completed by 2 learners

Ages 10-14

Live Group Class

In this four-meeting course, students will learn about catchy melodies and how to write in musical notation.

Becca VanZant Anderson, Piano and Songwriting

Average rating:

4.8

Number of reviews:

(25 reviews)

Live video meetings

1x per week, 4 weeks

1-4 learners per class

45 min

About Learning Overview Teacher Reviews

What's included

4 live meetings

3 in-class hours

Homework

1-2 hours per week. This class is about writing music, so after every class learners will submit an update to their song. After the first class, they will submit the lyrics for their song and what kind of musical style they want to use. After the second class, they will submit their common popular tune (filled out in class) and their draft of their melody. A revised version of their melody is due after the third class. Finally, after the fourth class, learners will submit their final melody. All homework should be submitted as a .pdf file.

Assessment

Learners will receive a written assessment on their homework. A letter grade can be provided if requested.

Grading

included

Class Experience

Have you ever heard a song that became stuck in your head? Why do you think that happened? It was probably because the melody was catchy! In this class, you will learn what makes a melody memorable and how to write it in musical notation.

The first class is about melodies. You will listen to several different songs from different pop genres and identify what makes them memorable. The second class focuses on writing. You'll look at musical notes, practice copying a common popular tune, and begin writing your own melody. For the third class, you will continue to work on your melody as we talk about the differences between verses, the chorus, and the bridge. For the last class, you will finish up your melody and we'll talk about ways to record it.

The sample songs for this class are "I See the Light" by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, "Thunder" by Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, Ben McKee, Daniel Platzman, Alexander Grant, and Jayson DeZuzio, "I'm a Believer" by Neil Diamond, and "Hot Air Balloon" by Adam Young. We will listen to them online.

Learning Goals

Learners will learn what makes a melody good and gain the skills to write their own melody.

Other Details

Supply List

Learners will need a notebook, pencil, and musical staff paper in this course. They should also have experience playing a musical instrument and reading traditional western musical notation.

For free, printable staff paper, follow this link: https://static.musictheory.net/pdf/blank.pdf

Language of Instruction

English

External Resources

Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.

Sources

We will refer to the following YouTube videos throughout the class: “I See the Light” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILRs2r6lcHY “Thunder” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1GEYlL6rzU&list=PL4s2FiQ5iPCvhfif1M_EGG6jo9zetm1mz “I’m a Believer” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PQAqprjOuA “Moonlight in Vermont” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMDYd-j_Gas “Hot Air Balloon” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRwBa4ahWqM

Meet the teacher

Becca VanZant Anderson, Piano and Songwriting

Joined February, 2021

4.8

25reviews

Profile

Teacher expertise and credentials

Bachelor's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Berklee College of Music

Hello Outschool! I'm Mrs. Becca, a lover of music, knitting, books, and baking. Having a Bachelor's in Music Composition for Film, TV, and Games from Berklee College of Music, I teach creative classes on writing music, performing music, music theory, sound effects, and musical score composition. I have studied music through piano, voice, and composition for 19+ years and taught music for 8+ years.

My love for art and creativity is best summed up by the author C. S. Lewis: “We do not want merely to see beauty . . . We want something else which can hardly be put into words — to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it."