Creative Music Strategies Based upon Poetry and the Language

Abstract

Formal composition should not be a beginning creative musical activity, but should be preceded by freer, more divergent experiences with sound. Also, the concept of “composition” should be put aside in favor of that “organization of sounds.” Free exploration of sounds, using poetry or other means, may ultimately lead to the convergent skills required for formal composition.

Five ways of using poetry and the language for creative experiences in music are discussed:

1. 1.

Inventing words for familiar songs

2.

Writing song lyrics to a familiar melodic pattern

3.

Adding sounds to an existing poem

4.

Creating an original sound-piece from a poem

5.

Improvising upon verbal stimuli