This week I started Ella on Level 2 of her songwriting lessons! Our new process will include everything that we work on in our current lessons (with learning how to go from idea to concept to mapping out lyrics, structuring melodies, rhythms, editing and polishing songs, and melody variations) - but now, on top of the co-written songs Ella will be getting in her weekly lessons, we are now working on Ella writing at least 1 song by herself a month.
At the first lesson, we will pick a chord progression, rhythm and an idea. I will help Ella map out her idea clearly so that she has a place to start.
Between the first and second lesson, Ella will need to write 4 lines (both lyrics and melody). It can be either a verse or a chorus. At her lesson, we will go over what she brought, talk about questions or complications that she had while writing it, edit it a little bit if needed - and then continue with our regular lessons for the rest of the time.
Between the second and third lesson, Ella will need to write 4-8 more lines (either the verse or chorus - whichever she didn't write the first week). She again will bring it to our lesson, we will talk about it, edit it if needed - and spend the rest of the time working on our regular co-written songs.
Between the third and fourth lesson, Ella will fill in the second verse, using the tune and rhythm that she used in the first verse.
By doing this, we will be able to directly address Ella's specific strengths and things she struggles with when writing songs by herself and be able to focus the rest of our lessons on exactly what she feels like she needs help with the most!
We started this process today and ELLA CRUSHED!!!!!!! I mapped out what Ella should do and guided her with examples from songs that were totally different from her song idea (so that she couldn't use things we were discussing - but still understood exactly how to do each of our steps).
I will record our chord progression so that Ella can continue writing her song so that she can bring it back at her next lesson with whatever else she has finished.
In our lesson today, Ella wrote a verse (both melody and lyrics) and a chorus melody - and THEY ROCKED!!!!!!!!