• New: The study and creation of song lyrics with
  contemporary Canadian songwriters

• Public: Secondary students across Canada

• Language English in Quebec and French mother tongue
  and FSL across the country

• Length of the activity: 5 months

• Free

• Registration completed

 

Partners: Canadian Heritage, MELS, LEARN, Community Learning Centers

 Click here to listen to the songs 

 

Description

Writing for a Song is an innovative educational programme designed to teach a repertoire of important language skills and strategies to high-school students across Canada in English, French mother tongue and French as a second language (FSL).

Contemporary Canadian songwriters will introduce their work to students and help them to study and create their own song lyrics. They will work on considerations of language, voice, point of view, narrative, diction, image, rhythm and other poetic qualities of song lyrics.

 

 

Purpose of the Project

This project is designed to provide enrichment to English classes within Quebec and to French and FSL classes across Canada and to improve young Canadians' reading and writing abilities.

 

 

 

Project Schedule

N.B. This timetable is subject to change.

■ November 2009: Preparation

Teachers will discuss with the Educational programmes coordinator to become familiar with the project structure and the technology used for videoconferencing and collaboration.

Teachers will receive support materials (songwriters' texts and CDs) and a project guide. The guide will offer suggestions, options and possible approaches to develop and manage the project within the classroom. Teachers will use the project materials to develop learning scenarios and to carry out appropriate activities with their students.

 

■ December 2009 - January 2010: First meeting between
   songwriters, teachers and classes

Each group will participate in an in-class or on-line workshop with the songwriter. The guide gives suggestions to prepare for this exchange. During this initial meeting, songwriters will draw on their own work and experience.

■ January - March 2010: Elaboration of the project and
   writing of song lyrics

In class: elaboration on the project, work in groups, written responses to songwriters' work.

On-going exchange and dialogue between class participants and songwriters over an Internet platform; sharing materials from different schools.

■ February - March 2010: videoconference(s)

Each class will have at least a one-hour, on-line session with the songwriter. The focus of the dialogue during the videoconference(s) will be the content of the students' work and they will receive feedback from the songwriter.

■ March 2010: Lyrics set to music

Wherever feasible, lyrics written by the students will be set to music.

■ April - May 2010: Assessment

Written evaluation by all participants.