Search Results for: song

Songwriting at Carpe Diem Arts Camp 2019

August 30, 2019 by Mary Amato Leave a Comment

In my songwriting workshops at Carpe Diem Arts Camp this year, we focused on what it means to seize the day and wrote a collaborative song. Below is the recording we made after our two work sessions. As a songwriting teacher, I believe it’s important to talk about how to sing the song once it is written; so, after finishing the song, we debated vocal dynamics and instrumentation (how to play our ukes and when not to use them). Notice how the uke starts with plucking but switches to a strum on the chorus and then drops out on the bridge. Also notice how the girls grow progressively louder at the end.

STEM plus Songwriting equals STEAM SONGS

July 22, 2019 by Mary Amato Leave a Comment

Octopus by Goodloe Byron

What is a STE(A)M Song?

Imagine the love song of an invertebrate…or a glacier…or a drone.

In my new STE(A)M Song series, I’m using STEM-related concepts as metaphors for songs about love and life. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math and when you add (A)rt, such as songwriting to STEM, you get STE(A)M.

Listen to some of my STE(A)M songs.
Download the lyrics/info sheet that explains the science metaphor behind each song.
Find out about my songwriting workshops.

STE(A)M Songs

Quantum Physics

A love song using the metaphors of the uncertainty principle and the observer effect in physics.
To learn more about the science behind the song: Lyrics & info

Geology

A geology love song…in other words a rock song. Why should love songs be about hearts and flowers? A big old ordinary rock can be a symbol for love. Cover Photo by Stew Hickman.
To learn more about the science behind the song:Lyrics & info

Astronomy

A love song of an astronomer who is searching for life in the universe.
To learn more about the science behind the song: Lyrics & info.

The love song from the sun to us.
To learn more about the science behind the song: Lyrics & info

Marine Biology

A blues song written about an invertebrate (think Octopus). Cover art by Goodloe Byron.
To learn more about the science behind the song: Lyrics & info

A love song of the coral to its symbiotic partner, the algae.
To learn more about the science behind the song: Lyrics & info

Climate Change

The warning song of a glacier to us.
To learn more about the science behind the song: Lyrics & info.

Chemistry

A love song with imagery from the chem lab.
To learn more about the science behind the song:Lyrics & info

Engineering/Technology

The song of an unmanned aerial vehicle addressing its engineer. Cover art: Kathryn Brimblecombe-Fox Sky-Drone-Net (cropped) gouache on paper 30 x 42 cm 2016
To learn more about the science behind the song: Lyrics & info

More Info

I do songwriting residencies in schools.
See song samples and curriculum notes from a first-grade STEM Song residency.
See song samples and curriculum notes from a fifth-grade STEM song residency.
More songs to come soon. I’ll also be posting songs that are created by students in my songwriting workshops.

Songs For Kids

April 20, 2019 by Mary Amato Leave a Comment

Mary Amato Music Resources

Songbook for some Mary Amato sing-along songs: Packet includes songs from The Riot Brothers, The Good Crooks, and Lucy McGee as well as chords and tips for ukulele.

Lucy McGee series resources: Link includes song booklets, mp3s and karaoke mp3s for each book in the series.

Songwriting resources for middle and high school:This link includes song booklets for middle and high school fiction, Guitar Notes and Get Happy, mp3s and karaoke mp3s.

Article “Bring Power of Music into Your Library”

Mary Amato Fiction with Songs

For Ages 6-10

The Riot Brothers: Stinky and Successful
The Riot Brothers: Take the Mummy and Run (ages 6-10)
News From Me, Lucy McGee
Sing with Me, Lucy McGee
Lucky Me, Lucy McGee
A Star on TV, Lucy McGee
Good Crooks: Missing Monkey
Good Crooks: Dog Gone
Good Crooks: Sniff a Skunk

For ages 9-12

The Naked Mole-Rat Letters

For ages 13 and up

Guitar Notes
Get Happy

For ages 15 and up

Open Mic Night at Westminster Cemetery

Songwriting Workshop at Stedwick Elementary School

March 6, 2019 by Mary Amato Leave a Comment

How spirit-lifting it was to walk into Mary Ruth McGinn’s classroom at Stedwick Elementary School and see a circle of third graders with their ukuleles, ready to write songs.

Before my arrival, the teacher and I had already begun to give the students the experience of critique and revision—an essential part of the songwriting process. About a week before the workshop, McGinn emailed me a draft of a collaborative song, I wrote comments, made suggested edits, and emailed it back. She shared that with the students and together they re-wrote one of the verses and talked through why I had made the suggestions I had made.

During the workshop, we set those lyrics to music and practiced it. After that, we wrote an entire new song together. The focus for this workshop was on a trio of elements that are often employed in songwriting: rhythm, repetition, and rhyme. As we wrote, we tested each lyric line to a beat to make sure the rhythm of the words sounded right. Sometimes, we had to make a change, such as substituting a one syllable word for a longer word if the line sounded awkward.

When it was time to write our new song, I taught how I often start by writing down a lot of possible ideas, rather than just one idea for each line. For example, in the first four-line verse, when it came time to write the last line, I asked them for lots of ideas. I wrote them all down so we could pick the one we liked best.

If I built a wall,
I’d build three more
It would be a small house
With a door
(or one of these instead)
With four doors
With sixteen doors
With a floor
With a floor and a door

We ended up liking the humor and the symbolism of sixteen doors.

Next, we worked on the idea of establishing and repeating a pattern. In this case, the pattern for each verse was four lines with the second and fourth line repeating. We also worked on the idea that the chorus of a song can be simple and make use of repetition.
Here’s the whole song:

If I built a wall,
I’d build three more
It would be a small house
With sixteen doors

If I built a window
I’d look outside
I’d say, “Hello World”
To the bright blue sky.

CHORUS:
So many people can come inside.
So many people can come inside.
Come inside!

If I built a roof
I’d make it warm
It would keep us safe
From the big dark storm.

If I built a floor
I’d use it for my band.
Everybody come
And jump and dance.

CHORUS:
So many people can come inside.
So many people can come inside.
Come inside!
Come inside!

Thanks to Carpe Diem Arts, Inc., the non-profit arts organization that organized and funded the experience, to Busy Graham, CDA’s founder, Ms. McGinn, and all her students.

Behind-the-Scenes Peek at Lucy’s Songs

Each of the books in the Lucy McGee series has recorded songs with lyrics and music to encourage readers, families, schools, and libraries to sing together.

Here’s how I created those songs and recordings. First, I wrote all the music and lyrics for the songs (see my messy brainstorm page for one song below). Then I created demos (quick recordings) of me singing the songs. But I really needed to hear how the songs would sound with kids singing them!

Kids through Carpe Diem Arts in recording session with Mary Amato

I contacted my friends at Carpe Diem Arts (CDA), a nonprofit music and arts organization, and asked if CDA would be willing to get some kids together to sing two or three of the songs. Thanks to CDA and those kids who came, I recorded two songs during our first session and learned a lot.

Getting feedback is always important, so I asked musician and producer Alex Lacquement to listen to the works in progress. He critiqued my songs and suggested some changes. I revised the songs and he grabbed his beautiful upright bass and improvised bass parts for a number of the songs. We recorded these and added them.

Marisa, Nico, and Noah

Through Carpe Diem Arts and their Ukes on the Move program, I worked with several kids in recording sessions at my house to record vocals. The kids had no formal rehearsals or training and they did such a great job. Marisa James-Le, Nico Rasi-deMatties, and Noah Miatudila came more than once and helped me so much with harmonies and with experimentation. Nico improvised spoken commentary for the Cookies song on the spot and we laughed so much we decided to keep it.

Juliet singing Lucy’s songs

Juliet Wade (my 9-year-old soloist) came to me through the recommendation of vocal teacher Deborah Benner. Deborah and Juliet rehearsed the songs just a few times before I recorded Juliet. She learned quickly and seemed to be fearless!

Malin (left) and Dunya (right)

Dunya Siddique, Malin Ruynh Thomas, more kids from CDA, and my private students Meredith Crowell and Lyla Binsner also helped by singing.

Finally, I brought all the tracks to Cletus Kennelly at Urban Garden Recording Studio. He engineered, mixed, and mastered them.

If you enjoy these recordings please consider making a donation to Carpe Diem Arts.

Special thanks to:

- Alex Lacquement and Cletus Kennelly
- Busy Graham and Michelle Mosher at Carpe Diem Arts
- The kids and the parents of the kids who are listed above plus Lila Hutchins, Alex (Serena) Leach, Grace Williams, Anina Gonzalez, and Caya Kassaraba
- Deborah Benner
- The Washington Revels for use of the rehearsal space
- Luna Ukuleles for providing the gorgeous Pearl uke for the recording session and book tour.

Ah, my lovely Luna Pearl! Just holding it makes me happy!

My brainstorming for revision of the Friend Song in my writer’s notebook. Yes, I’m messy.

Potomac Elementary STEM Songwriting Residency

March 7, 2018 by Mary Amato Leave a Comment

What do students do when they write a song?

Research/brainstorm (it’s okay to be messy)
Write rough draft
Recognize and follow patterns
Use repetition
Experiment with rhyme
Use rhythm
Revise
Make sure each song has a surprise
Rehearse

Students at Potomac Elementary explored lots of elements of songwriting in my songwriting residency. Thanks to teachers, staff, PTA, and first-grade students for all the enthusiasm.

Our subjects were math and science. Teachers Ms. Siegel and Mrs. Li gave me a list of topics that first graders study. I chose a different topic with each class: Magnets, Soil, and Measurement.

Here are the songs the students wrote. When you listen to the songs, pay attention to the pattern, the rhymes, the rhythm, and the meaning.

Download the pdf of the You Need Me song about soil with lyrics and chords. Sing and play along with the song.

Download the pdf of the Magnet Magnet song with lyrics and chords. Sing and play along with the song.

Download the pdf of the Ruler Power song about soil with lyrics and chords. Sing and play along with the song.

First we did brainstorming to write down all the things about the topic that we know. Sometimes questions would arise and we had to do research to make sure we were correct. Then we used our brainstorm to write a rough draft. We had to experiment with different rhymes and rhythms to make sure the song made sense and sounded good to our ears. We had to recognize a pattern in our first verse and then apply that pattern to the rest of the verses. We decided that a good song has magnetic properties—it sticks to your brain!

Besides learning a lot about songwriting and writing original songs, we also learned about collaboration and about democracy (we had to vote on different ideas throughout the process).

I loved seeing how, at PES, kids are encouraged to respectfully disagree. As we wrote our rough drafts, sometimes a statement would be made about the science by one student, and another student would challenge the accuracy of the statement. This prompted us to stop the songwriting process and do a little research to determine accuracy before we continued. Bravo!

Since this residency was a part of the science block, I also introduced a question: can we make musical instruments out of magnets? What about soil or sand? We experimented to get results. Which kind of particle of sand do you think would be the loudest in a shaker? Course or fine?

Parents, here’s what you can do at home.

Continue the folk song tradition of taking a song you already know and changing the words. This is a great activity for car rides! As our warm-up, we took a folk song that uses math and changed the words to make it a little more challenging. Substituting new words for old words in a folk song is a great way to encourage songwriting. When you substitute words, you have to make sense and you have to remember the new ones. It takes focus and concentration!

50 bottles of juice on the shelf.

50 bottles of juice.

Take ten down and pass them around

40 bottles of juice on the shelf.

2. When you are listening to a song with your kids, ask:

Is there rhyme?
What’s the pattern of the song?
What’s the rhythm of the song?
What’s the emotion of the song?
Does the rhythm and melody fit the emotion/meaning?
What’s the main idea of the song?
Is there a chorus (a part that repeats)?
Is there repetition?
Is there a surprise?

3. If your child writes a song for fun at home, encourage him or her. As first graders, they might write silly songs. Their songs might not even make complete sense. That is okay. Please don’t try to make your child’s song perfect. Comment on something positive about the song. Does it have rhyme? Does it have rhythm? At this age, experimentation, play, and fluidity are important.

4. Add a ritual of making up songs together or singing songs that you know before dinner, while you’re cooking, when you’re stuck in traffic.

5. Sing and play the original songs above! I’ll have a new series of chapter books out in September that is about a songwriting club in an elementary school. The books will come with songs that are perfect for elementary school students. Happy reading and keep singing!

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Test Songwriting Skype Class

January 24, 2018 by admincarlos

Each three-session class will include a focus on a different type of song structure. No musical experience necessary and you don’t have to be able to play an instrument. Since Skype sessions are one-on-one, any skill level from professional to a beginner is welcome.

Carpe Diem Arts Songwriting Residency

August 27, 2017 by Mary Amato Leave a Comment

For three days, I had the chance to work with sixth, seventh, and eighth graders in Albemarle County, VA. We explored how to get ideas for songs and specific strategies for songwriting such as structure, metaphor, rhythm, rhyme, and prosody. We applied the same techniques for revising that poets and fiction writers use.

Each class collaborated to create one original song. We created characters and backstories for these songs and imagined that the songs were coming from each character’s point of view. Although we were focusing on process, our goal was to finish the song in just three periods. Check out the songs below.

Thanks to the Bama Works Fund of Dave Matthews Band c/o the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation for the financial support. I’m also grateful to Bobbi Snow, visionary founder/director and project grant administrator; to Bliss Webel, the wise and wonderful Language Arts teacher for all the classroom support; and to Busy Graham and Carpe Diem Arts for making the connection. Finally, thanks to the students, who I enjoyed meeting, for their enthusiasm and energy.

Topics for songs were brainstormed by each group and chosen by democratic vote. We used the “voice memo” app on the iPhone to record our songs.

Recordings to come soon!

Songwriting Workshop on the Maryland Shore

August 27, 2017 by Mary Amato Leave a Comment

For the second year, I had the opportunity to teach workshops at the Carpe Diem Arts Camp on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. This year, the focus was on songwriting, and we wrote a collaborative song. What a great group of campers! Thanks to Busy Graham, Ale and Binta.

DREAM BIG song recording by Carpe Diem Arts…sing along!

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Welcome to Lucy McGee and the Songwriting Club!

Sing along with the songs from the Lucy McGee books
Perform with the karaoke tracks
Download a free songbook with lyrics, chords, and more ukulele
Watch videos of my tips for playing the songs on ukulele
Find out about the kids who are singing on the tracks
Find out how to send me your own video to share
Get an elementary school band score for The Friend Song

Book Two Recordings

The Howl Song

The Together Song

When I’m Home

Hair with Flair Jingle

Book Two Karaoke Tracks: Sing your heart out!

The Howl Song (karaoke)

The Together Song (karaoke)

When I’m Home (karaoke)

Hair with Flair Jingle (karaoke)

Book One Recordings

The Cleaning Song

The Piggy Song

The Cookie Song

The Friend Song

Book One Karaoke Tracks: Sing your heart out!

The Cleaning Song Karaoke

The Piggy Song Karaoke

The Cookie Song Karaoke

The Friend Song Karaoke

If you sing one of the songs for your school or community talent show, make sure to share that the song is from the book and use the comments page to let me know how it goes!

Lyrics and Chords Booklet

If you play the ukulele or guitar, download the Book One Lyrics and Chords Booklet and Book Two Lyrics and Chords Booklet and practice singing and playing at the same time. Tips are included.

Recording Credits

Juliet recording the Lucy songs

Book 1: Lyrics and music for all songs by Mary Amato. Alex Lacquement on upright bass; Mary Amato on uke and keys.
Book 2:Lyrics and music for all songs by Mary Amato. Alex Lacquement on upright bass; Mary Amato on uke and Amy Bormet on keys (When I’m Home and Together).
Book 1 and 2: Vocals by Juliet Wade (as Lucy) and Nico Rasi-deMatties as Phillip.
Book 1: Additional vocals by Marisa James-Le, Dunya Siddique, and Noah Miatudila, Malin Ruynh Thomas, Meredith Crowell, Lyla Binsner, and kids from Carpe Diem Arts.
Produced by Alex Lacquement. Engineered, mixed, and mastered by Cletus Kennelly, Urban Garden Recording Studio.
With special thanks to Juliet’s vocal teacher, Deborah Benner.
Thanks also to Luna Ukuleles for providing the beautiful concert uke used on this recording and for the book tour.
Read more about the preparation and recording sessions and see photos of the singers in this link.
If you enjoy these songs, please consider making a donation to Carpe Diem Arts, a non-profit music and arts organization that has a wonderful program called Ukes on the Move.

Elementary School Band and Chorus Score

Thanks to band teacher Darelynn Fung for arranging a band score for The Friend Song. Download this pdf and with the score and parts and play and sing it at school. Make sure to send a link to any videos you take and I’ll share them with all my Lucy fans.

Videos of Ukulele Tips

Are you learning to play the uke? Watch my videos of tips for playing these songs. Here are the first videos. Subscribe to my channel to get them all.

The Piggy Song

The Cleaning Song

The Cookie Song

The Friend Song