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Create Songs That Kids LOVE
10 Tips By Stephanie Leavell, MT-BC
One of the most valuable things I've ever done was a series of songwriting courses at
Berklee College of Music. I was already a songwriter down in my soul, but this helped
me learn that songwriting is not only an art, it's also a science. There are tricks to
making songs sound pleasing and "correct" to the listener's ears.
I am NOT advocating formulaic/cookie cutter songwriting
here, but what I learned was invaluable. With a few new
tricks up my sleeves, I was more productive, less
frustrated and composing better songs.
Here are my favorite tips and tricks!
Learn more from Stephanie Leavell, MT-BC, at MusicTherapyEd.com
1. Follow a clear (and simple!)
song form:
My favorite song form for kids (that's also improvisation friendly*) is a simple ABA
or AABA song form. "A" is your repetitive theme and "B" is your departure from that
theme. When your song heads back to the (catchy) theme, that familiarity can be
grounding and comforting to the child.
Many simple children's songs are in an "A" form, meaning there isn't any departure from
the theme (Mary Had A Little Lamb, Twinkle Twinkle, etc.). Taking your simple theme
and adding a "B" section adds substance and variation to your song. The "B" section is
also a great place to add in an additional goal (motor, speech, communication,
etc.). OR, it's the place to jam out, have fun and take a break from more cognitively
demanding goals you've built into the "A" section.
*Improvisation tip: Sometimes I only write the "A" theme and plan to use a "B", but don't
write it so I can improvise based on what I'm seeing in the moment.
Learn more from Stephanie Leavell, MT-BC, at MusicTherapyEd.com
2. Keep it SIMPLE:
Have you noticed that the children's songs that have lasted years... upon years... upon
years... are the simple ones? Your song doesn't have to be complex to have an
impact. Use those simple songs that initially feel insignificant!
3. Use a singable melody:
For kids, a singable melody is one that moves step-wise up or down and doesn't jump
more than about a 3rd at a time. If you'd like participation, a singable melody is key!
4. Use repetitive lyrics:
"We all live in a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine. We all live
in a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine."
"Na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye. Na na, na na na na, hey hey hey,
goodbye."
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"Work, work, work, work, work. You see me I work, work, work, work, work."
Popular choruses are repetitive. There's something about our brains that thrives in
repetition... so go for it!
If you have a great line, try this:
"This is your great line.
This is your great line.
Say something new here.
This is your great line."
That is a very common songwriting trick for an instantly strong chorus!
5. Borrow chord progressions:
Are you stuck in the same old chord progressions? Look up chord progressions used by
your favorite artists and pull ideas from their songs. Chord progressions are used and
reused by everyone, so there's no shame in getting an idea from someone else if you
turn around and make it your own.
If you're writing a song with a client, google THEIR favorite artists. I recently did this with
a teen and we borrowed 3 chords from an Avril Lavigne song. It was a progression I
Learn more from Stephanie Leavell, MT-BC, at MusicTherapyEd.com
wouldn't have thought of, it completely changed the trajectory of her song, and it fit her
style better than my initial ideas!
6. Match your strum/
fingerpicking pattern to your
lyrics:
Try not to get stuck in your favorite strum or fingerpicking pattern. Instead, match it to
the lyrics, melody and chord progression of the song. HOW? If your melody has a lot of
long, sustained notes, you'll want your pattern to either, 1. Fill in that space to give it
forward momentum, OR 2. Pause at the same time to reinforce the drama of that pause.
Try a bunch of things-- you won't know til you try!
Learn more from Stephanie Leavell, MT-BC, at MusicTherapyEd.com
7. Carefully consider tempo and
muting:
This is WAY more important than it sounds. It's the fine-tuning at the end of your
process that can make your song go from good to great.
What's the purpose of your song? Beyond matching the tempo to the needs and goals
of your client (ex: a movement song should be active and the chords probably shouldn't
be too sustained), there is a lot of opportunity to use varying TEMPOS, STARTS and
STOPS to reinforce goals.
Simple examples: If kids will be stopping and freezing, the accompaniment needs to
stop and freeze with them. An unexpected stop can draw a child's attention back to the
song, if need be. A "B" section with a varied tempo (or time signature!) can send the
song in new direction. That's completely okay to do with most kids if you return back to
the familiar "A" section.
Additionally, if you want to emphasize words, isolate those words within the
accompaniment. Stop your regular strum and only strum DOWN on those specific
words while leaving space around them.
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8. RECORD EVERYTHING:
You think that you'll remember it forever... you won't! The voice recorder on my phone is
my best friend.
9. Don't overthink it:
I used to start songs, get discouraged by how simplistic or cheesy they initially sounded,
abandon them, and then start again. I've since learned that some of the simplest, most
straight-forward songs are the most effective. Some of the songs that I have spent
hours on that I've been certain will be "home-runs" definitely WEREN'T!
Try not to overthink it. Trust the initial ideas that pop out right when you sit down to
write... they're often the best.
10. Work at it!
Don't sit down when inspiration comes.... sit down when you WANT inspiration to come.
And then just START.
Learn more from Stephanie Leavell, MT-BC, at MusicTherapyEd.com
I truly believe that if you want to write a lot of songs, you need to sit down and work at it.
I often sit down and will not get up until a song is completely written. It may or may not
be a winner and I may tweak it later, but instead of nothing, I got an option.
Inspiration rarely comes out of thin air... sit down and write!
Learn more from Stephanie Leavell, MT-BC, at MusicTherapyEd.com
Why we LOVE Stephanie Leavell at Music Therapy Ed!
Though I’m a seasoned early childhood music educator, I still look for inspiration and
ideas from colleagues. Stephanie is the bee’s knees! She clearly has her finger on the
musical pulse of what works for young children. || Ellen Allard
Stephanie has a unique combination of in-
depth formal education, her oodles of
natural talent, AND her hands-on
experience as a mother as well as her
years as a highly successful Music
Therapist...she condenses all that
knowledge down into ideas that are fun,
simple to understand, and easy to
implement. || Kathy Wilkins
Such a wonderful resource for anyone
who works with music and young children.
I’ve learned so much from Stephanie. ||
Joy Stallworth
Take Stephanie’s CEU course on Early Childhood at MusicTherapyEd.com!
Learn more from Stephanie Leavell, MT-BC, at MusicTherapyEd.com
