Have a child in piano lessons who wants to compose their own songs, but is having trouble getting started. Does he or she try to make up their own melodies on the piano? Piano Students often think they have to be Beethoven or Mozart to compose their own pieces. It’s not true. Here are five tips to help piano students begin to compose their own songs. Share it with your piano student at home. Or maybe you’d like to try your own hand at composition.

1. I can’t think of a tune or anything to write lyrics about.

Every piano student has a source of song. You just have to know where to look for it. I recommend that students who want to compose their own music keep a “Piano Memory Box.” This is a special place to store keep sakes and mementos of special personal experiences they want to remember in the future. I made one of these for my son when he was a young piano student and he still uses it as a senior in High School. When he was little I suggest he put things in it like photographs of special memories, a ball of cotton dipped in his grandmother’s perfume, a little jar of dirt from a special vacation spot we liked to visit, or the school paper he wrote on “What I Did This Summer.” Over the years he has put lots of things in this little box. Recently, I happen to notice him throw in some ticket stubs to a move he saw with his girl friend. As he grows into a man I hope he’ll remember to take a look back inside this little box whenever he’s looking for a source of song or inspiration, and remember who he is. Oh, there will be some sad memories there as well, but this too is the stuff song writers are made of. Just look back at your own history of experiences to compose a song that is meaningful to you.

2. I don’t know how to get started.

Songs are just poetry put to music. Start by writing a poem. Once you have your poem, white another short statement that summarizes your message. Use this as your chorus. If students can manage to do this in English Class they can do it in piano.

3. I don’t hear any music in my head.

To hear some music in your head, start singing your poem or playing it on the piano. Think of the tone and spirit of your poem. Is it funny, or beautiful, or stormy? Then start creating your melody by asking a question. Then respond to it by giving an answer. This is referred to as a call and a response. The “Call” sounds unfinished, and the “Response” completes the musical idea. This will be your first verse.

4. I can’t figure out how to put the music together so it flows.

Take your first verse and call it A. Then create another call and response for your chorus. We’ll call this B. Write as many verses as you want to. Here is a simple option for putting your song together. A/B/A

Here’s an example to show you how easy this is.

A: Verse Call – Twinkle, twinkle, little star
Response –How I wonder what you are.

B: Chorus

Call – Up above the world so high,
Response - Like a diamond in the sky.

A: Repeat Verse

5. I still can’t think of a melody for my poem.

If you still can’t come up with a melody, try this. Create a variation on the simple melody above. This will help you begin to hear and understand how melodies are created, using the call and response technique. To hear more complex variations on this childhood melody, find a piano CD with some of the many variations on this theme composed by Mozart.

For great home piano activities parents can use to help children ages 5 to 11 develop their musical talent, visit Piano Adventure Bears Music Education Resources You’ll find a treasure box filled with piano resources to create an exciting musical adventure for your child - right in your own home! Visit their website and subscribe to their f’ree internet newsletter so you can download f’ree piano sheet music and mp3s of original piano compositions.

These exciting stories, games, piano lessons, and inspirational gifts feature the Piano Adventure Bears, Mrs. Treble Beary and her new piano student, Albeart Littlebud. Young students follow along with Albeart to learn what piano lessons are all about in a fun way that kids readily understand appreciate. Click here to visit PianoAdventureBears.com For a wealth of information about piano lessons, visit tallypiano.com

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