I can honestly say that, despite working with some of the UK's most talented woodwind and jazz students, one of the most enjoyable parts of my job is nurturing young people on their journey as songwriters. The past few years have seen a rise in this phenomenon – of course, young people have always expressed themselves through popular song (where else would pop and rock bands come from?), but there seems to have been a surge in how socially acceptable it is for young people to express their emotions through their own music. While we often see the ‘cool kids’ forming bands, it is often viewed as ‘uncool’ for many to express their innermost feelings in songs. The step change here might be due to the promotion of mental wellbeing among young people. It is far more acceptable now to talk about one's feelings or to find a creative outlet for them (indeed, it is encouraged) than it once was.
I believe that Covid-19 also had some impact on this. When the pandemic hit, young people could not find musical outlets in the traditional sense, so many turned to their own experiments on the piano or guitar while writing down their thoughts in the form of lyrics. This is not to say that the same pupils were not trying this before; but the introduction of a nationwide lockdown certainly provided opportunity in terms of time and space. Following the return to school, I set up a regular songwriting workshop where pupils could share their songs with each other and give feedback. This was very well received and, although some were reluctant at first, it gave credibility to some very creative musicians who would not usually have been recognised.
I am a strong believer that music is vital to our culture and development of society, and that all pupils should be able to access music in some way. Songwriting has proved to be a brilliant option for those who might not be attracted to a traditional approach for whatever reason. Where it might have been challenging for certain pupils to practise an orchestral instrument for 30 minutes daily, some have found that it feels perfectly natural to experiment with a new song for hours on end, trying out ways to create chords, harmony and structure alongside their lyrics.
I have been surprised by the number of songs I have heard that really delved into current affairs, politics, or topics that might be challenging for some. Of course, there is always a healthy dose of teenage angst as well. What I love about the music I hear is that it is honest, genuine and creative in a way that is hard to teach.
So how can we encourage, nurture and teach the art of songwriting without imposing a formality that would spoil it? I believe the first thing is to provide opportunities for sharing – not necessarily in formal concerts, but in workshops, open mic nights or group sessions led by pupils themselves.
The second thing is to make pupils aware of skills that may help them to improve their offerings; guitar, keyboard or vocal lessons can all be useful next steps. A multi-disciplinary approach can be used, bringing elements of class music teaching, music technology and even creative writing together – these can all combine to encourage young songwriters. Finding inspiration is never hard for young people once they have that first nugget of a song. The challenging part is to convince young people that their work is valid amid the myriad classical approaches to music-making.
At Wells Cathedral School we are now fortunate enough to have a dedicated songwriting teacher, and we are launching a songwriting summer course for young people to explore the various aspects of songwriting and to develop skills that will help them on their journey. There are now quite a few schools that are able to offer this, and for those who want to pursue songwriting on a professional level, there are several excellent conservatoire courses that support contemporary musicians.
We live in a world where there are so many distractions from attempting to write music. If you have a pupil who might not be finding a way to express themselves on a more obvious instrument, show them examples of good songwriting and signpost ways to develop simple lyrics, chords and song structures. This might just encourage the next Ed Sheeran, Joni Mitchell or Bob Dylan…
