BaileyKidsMusicals.com
Kid Tested and Parent Approved
  • Home
  • Betsy's Blog on Children's Theater |
  • Children's Musicals
  • Mini Classroom Musicals
  • Songs from Musicals
  • Featured Songs from Shows
  • Tips for Presenting Children's Musicals
  • Putting on a Show
  • Folktales and Superheroes
  • What People Are Saying...
  • Video from Musicals
    • Never Cry Wolf 2007 Video
    • A Successor to the Throne Provost 2013 Video
    • Parizade's Quest 2015 Video
    • Momotaro Summer Camp Video 2015
  • Photos from Productions
    • Photos from A Successor to the Throne 2006
    • Photos from Successor to the Throne 2013
    • Photos from Never Cry Wolf 2007
    • Photos of Never Cry Wolf 2014
    • Photos of Never Cry Wolf 2019 Summer Camp
    • Photos from Stone Soup 2012
    • Photos from Chicken Licken Summer 2014
    • Photos from Parizade's Quest 2015
    • Photos from The Ants and the Grasshopper 2014
    • Photos The Adventures of Dick Whittington 2016
    • Photos from Momotaro 2017
  • About Me
  • Contact Info
  • Never Cry Wolf Hair Style Ideas and Tutorials
  • Children's Picture Books
  • Christmas Nativity Script (short)

Which Comes First --- the Words or the Music?

8/17/2019

0 Comments

 
Often I am asked which comes first when writing a new song -- the lyrics or the melody?  I usually say that the INSPIRATION comes first.  Inspiration can come from an idea, a feeling, a title, a scripture, a picture, a famous quote, a poem, an intriguing rhythm, a melodic "worm," a nugget from other music, ---almost anything can become an inspiration for a song.

When I was young, I liked to take long walks around my neighborhood.  There were many interesting streets of houses and green spaces as well as a trail along a canal bank.  I loved watching the trees as they changed through the seasons.  I loved to hear the water rushing by.  I enjoyed the views looking up to the mountains as well as looking down towards the valley.  As I walked, I sang to myself.  I sang lots of songs that I knew, but I also made up all sorts of songs.  I guess I didn't need much to entertain myself.  

(Curiously, even now, I find that going on a walk helps me think.  Sometimes, I go out walking and if I am trying to come up with an idea for a song, much of the song can literally write itself by the time I get home.)

During college, I got discouraged by all of the talent I saw around me.  The many teachers and students seemed so much more talented than I was.  The more I learned about musical elements and poetic devices, the more I guessed that my gift was just being able to sing.  Then, after graduation, I ventured out into the real world.  There I learned that with the right inspiration, I could produce interesting and worthwhile music, too.

For me, which comes first?  Well, I have to say that the music and the words pretty much come at the same time.  If I get an idea of something that needs to be said in the lyric, then the words dictate the melodic line and rhythms.  If an interesting melody starts forming in my mind, then I play catch up to try to find the words that should fit the music.  Some songwriters say that they start with the title.  But giving my song a title is usually the crowning detail of my songwriting efforts.  I have a hard time naming my songs. The default title often comes from the song's "hook." 
Picture
If I am writing a song for Musical Theater, I have to immerse myself in the story, the setting, the costumes and set ideas, but mostly I need to get into the "heads" of the characters.  The words and the style of the song need to organically develop from the characters and situations they are in.  One song that I remember very clearly that wrote itself on one of my walks is "I Love the City Life" from The Country Mouse and the City Mouse.  As I recall, it was a rather cold blustery day.  I was walking briskly through the neighborhood.  Because it was a cold day, I started thinking of snow.  That started me thinking of an Irving Berlin song from the movie "White Christmas."   A very rhythmic melodic snippet from that song would not leave me alone.  I decided that if it was harmonically dressed up differently, given a Latin beat, and different words, people would never know where I borrowed the inspiration.  So, by the time I got home, I just needed to write down what had come to me on my walk. Enjoy!
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    My name is Betsy Bailey.  I have sung, written and taught music all of my life.  I enjoy writing and directing Children's Theater shows.  This blog will be directed to topics on creating the magic of Children's Theater.  I would love to hear your comments!

    Archives

    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    July 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013

    Categories

    All
    Acting Games
    Aesop Fables
    Benefits Of Children's Theater
    Broadway And Movie Songs
    Character Values
    Chicken Licken
    Children's Chorus
    Children's Theater
    Choreography
    Christmas Nativity Pageant
    Common Core Objectives
    Costuming
    Dick Whittington And His Cat
    Drama Club
    Elementary School Music
    Elementary School Stages
    Flexible Casting
    Folk Songs
    Funny Stories
    Japanese Folktale
    Lessons Plans
    Matching Pitches
    Mini Musicals
    Mini-Musicals
    Momotaro
    Old English Pantomime
    Parizade's Quest
    Performance
    Resourcefulness
    Sets And Props
    Songwriting
    Stone Soup
    Storybooks
    Summer Theater Camp
    Tales Of The Arabian Nights
    Teaching Aids
    Teaching Singing
    The Boy Who Cried Wolf
    The Country Mouse And The City Mouse
    The Empty Pot
    The Musicians Of Bremen
    Writing And Directing Children's Musicals

    RSS Feed

Copyright: Bailey Kids Musicals, 2015