Let’s write a blues song together!

All you need is some imagination and a blues backing track, plus a pen and paper (to write down your lyrics). A rhyming dictionary is optional.

This musical activity comes from Rising Youth Theatre, which in partnership with the i.d.e.a. Museum and Benedictine University in Mesa, is providing a few activities this summer to promote storytelling. Special thanks to the Arizona Commission on the Arts – which receives funding from the state of Arizona and National Endowment for the Arts – for making these activities possible.

The basics:

Step 1: Listen to a blues track to understand structure of the song.

Step 2: Think about your first line. Keep it simple.

Step 3: Practice singing the line to the music.

Step 4: Repeat first line and then add a third line that rhymes with the first. Continue adding verses until your song is complete.

Try it!

Alternatives:

  • You can take turns writing verses.
  • Just improvise.

More info

Thanks to Rising Youth Theatre for providing three fun projects this summer. Check out the rest: