A return visit to BOA Academy, Birmingham to run songwriting workshops with year 13 students resulted in 5 songs in an hour!
Invited by the Head of Music, Kieron Howe, this return visit was to stimulate creativity in year 13 students with module 34 of the BTEC course (Contemporary Songwriting Techniques).
Over the last fifteen years I have been developing a method of writing songs in both large and small groups settings very quickly. It enables students to think outside of their personal experience, creating structured songs that end up being relevant and contemporary. The method is flexible and I’ve seen it work in a large range of environments from year 6 students in Knightsbridge (KS2) to adult sessions at Conferences in the UK and Switzerland!
In the three hour session we first looked at the meaning of song, what a song is and what it has the power to do. Then, examining the elements that make a song and how we can control those elements. Following this we co-wrote as one large group and I explained the process of ‘The Method’, moving to small groups to write sections of the song structure quickly. Finally we returned to a larger group to examine the results and feedback on each other’s work.
The results were excellent! A varied mixture of genres with some great impromptu arrangements including rap, ballad and reggae and even a little comedy thrown in for effect. It was impressive and entertaining to see what can be created with a strict deadline to a brief in just an hour. Students at BOA impressed with 5 songs! BOA Academy have invited me back to continue this process and develop advanced songwriting skills later in the year.
You can book Keith to speak to your students or run songwriting workshops by emailing bookings@keithayling.com
