Years ago, I had a Year 6 student (let's call him Zak) whom I'd never really managed to engage in music lessons. He had struggled coordinating with all the instruments we'd tried. Chrome books had just arrived in school (pre-Covid) and I wasn't a fan; ‘Why are we bringing screens into the classroom?’ I thought. My wise head teacher challenged me to at least give them a try. Reluctantly, I started to explore the Google suite and came across Chrome Music lab, and, as they say, the rest is history! I've used it ever since.
For Zak, it transformed his music lessons. At last, it was something he could access despite his challenges with coordination. He, along with others, found their gateway to composing using simple chords. Lunchtime and after school, they composed. It was wonderful to see.
So, what steps can be used (over a series of lessons) to get your students writing four-chord songs at primary level? The following is a fantastic way to get your students harmonising and composing.
Step 1: Explain what a chord is
Once you've given a simple technical description (e.g. ‘more than one note played together’), experiment with playing chords on instruments that are already familiar to pupils. Use ukuleles, or tuned percussion such as boomwhackers, bells, glocks and xylophones. Use YouTube play-along videos for your students to experience chords musically.
On the ukulele, you can demonstrate playing strings (and notes) independently and then strumming them together, as a chord. A very simple and popular two-chord pop song, using C major and A minor, is ‘Roar’ by Katie Perry. Here's an arrangement for ukulele: tinyurl.com/753xaf7z
For tuned percussion such as boomwhackers, consider using the 12-bar blues as your model. There's a helpful video of boomwhackers doing just this, at tinyurl.com/4bhhm3sc. This video illustrates chords in several ways, using numerals, chord names, and also breaks the chords down into their three notes (colour-coded).
Step 2: Apply the theory then construct a chord
On the whiteboard, illustrate how chords are constructed from notes in a scale. Write a C major scale using the letter names – C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C – and explain that a scale is a pattern of notes starting and finishing on the same note. In using the scale of C, we avoid accidentals at this point. Circle the first, third and fifth notes, explaining this is the ‘C chord’. Refer back to the ukulele or any instrument they may have played using a C chord.
Now, using the board, invite students to write the first five notes of what they think the ‘G scale’ is. Having identified this, can they work out the ‘G chord’?
Step 3: Show the Axes to Awesome ‘Four-Chord Song’ video
This video, by the Australian comedy music act Axes to Awesome, is both informative and entertaining. Take care to use the clean version of it (the language is not appropriate in the original), which is found at tinyurl.com/bdzckbyt. The comical video showcases many four-chord pop song hits, from ‘Don't Stop Believing’ (by Journey) to ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’ (Elton John), ‘Let it Be’ (The Beatles) and ‘Take on me’ (A-ha).
Explain that the four chords in question are Chord I, V, VI, IV, which, in the key of C, means chords C major (CEG), G major (GBD), A minor (ACE) and F major (FAC).
If you've done the 12-bar blues on boomwhackers and Katy Perry's ‘Roar’ on the ukulele, then pupils will have experienced these chords. For the more able students in your class, ask them to identify the chord numbers again, working from the chord names and notes.
Step 4: Write the chord sequence on Song Maker, CML
Write the chord sequence you've created into Song Maker from Chrome Music Lab, which is free to use. Now try adding melodies of familiar pop songs on top of this. Alternatively, ask pupils to make up their own melodies to fit the sequence.
Note that the colours for note names in CML correspond to the colours used on boomwhackers and some chimebars or bells.
For a visual representation of the chord sequence in Song Maker, watch the video ‘How to Make Chords and Melody’ at tinyurl.com/m2ff2tmw. This video is useful for pupils to reference if they need additional information (or for less confident teachers). It gives useful instructions on how to use the program but also how to add rhythm, use notes from the chord, add passing notes, and use rhythm successfully.
I show a still from this video and then demonstrate on the whiteboard how to write the following chord riff (a repeated pattern) in Song Maker, using the following table:
| G G G G | D D D D | E E E E | C C C C |
| E E E E | B B B B | C C C C | A A A A |
| C C C C | G G G G | A A A A | F F F F |
| Chord I | Chord V | Chord VI | Chord IV |
I model writing a familiar pop song melody over the top of the riff. The easiest one to introduce is the start of the chorus in A-ha's ‘Take on me’: middle C, moving up a 7th to the B and then next note C (the octave above middle C). I then invite pupils to write pop songs by ear, or write their own song, using notes from the chord and experimenting with passing notes. I stress rhythms may vary, and repeated notes may be needed instead of those of longer length due to the limitations of the program. Students create a Google Doc where they store links to their creations, which provide helpful evidence for assessments.
Closing thoughts
For some students, chord riffs used on Song Maker can be a real enabler for starting composition. Song Maker is accessible to all, and pattern-rich with colour. As it's free, and on Google, students can also access it at home, and in my experience often do. This is always heart-warming, and a music education win!
Finally, once you've mastered the above, why not try Minimalism? ‘Interstellar’ by Hans Zimmer is a good starting point. You can find a video performance of this on tuned percussion and boomwhackers at tinyurl.com/h73fba25, and on Song Maker at tinyurl.com/5n7ktxx7.
Everything we need to get pupils experimenting and composing is at our fingertips, it seems. Thank goodness for that wise headteacher I knew.
