song ideas: riffs, rhythms, melodies, chords, accompaniments

We hope this site will be a resource for people who would like to be able to write their own material on the spur of the moment or respond to their students' ideas with confidence. Please contribute anything you have written, even if it is unfinished - someone else may add to it.

---

Can you brush your teeth? - John Keys, Charlotte Radcliffe, Ruth Price.
Simple song with easy and fun responses, written during Eden Valley Singing Squad session. Works well in a round with actions.
mp3 score

---

Come And Sing With Me Now - Mary Keith
Repeating riff with harmonies, lovely feel.
(Mary is a Vocal Force Facilitator who writes regularly for the theatre and other projects)
KEY STAGE 2 & 3 & adult
score

---

Evening Time - Mary Keith
Vocal groove in two parts. It grew out of 'Evening Time', a traditional Jamaican song (see traditional songs page), but works really well on its own too.
score

---

Hear the Heartbeat - Mary Keith
Piece exploring different time values in a musical and evocative way. Very accessible.
KEY STAGE 2 upwards
score

---

Joho - arr. Jilly Jarman
Arrangement of extract of a gospel song learnt from Scott Stroman. (His arrangements are available on sibeliusmusic.com) Written for North Lakes School Choir, Penrith, it uses repeated phrases to explore rhythm and texture.
notes | score

---

Kinetic Energy - Sharon Durant & Jilly Jarman
Riff-based piece, useful as a starting point for composition ideas and improvisation. Written during the first vocal union training weekend in Allerdale, 2006
score

---

Fire! - Ems Featherstone, Alison Scott, Penrith Singing Squad
A great song to sing with energy with three interlocking parts
KEY STAGE 2 & 3
mp3 | score

---

Little Riff in 5 & 7 - Mary Keith
Just 3 bars of melody mixing the 2 time signatures. Evocative.
score

---

Summertime Riffs - Penrith Singing Squad
Ideas for extending Summertime and moving it from a lullaby into an upbeat groovy piece.
score

---

Sun Shine on Me - Hannah Reid, Shelley Stewart, James Ramage, Helen Rimmer
Song with 3 interlocking melodies that work together very well - could be used as a round or for bringing parts in and out over a riff.
mp3 | score

---

Yoo hoo! Where are you? - Vocal Union training day,
Warm-up song - suitable for any age
mp3

Vocal Union is funded through Sing Up and is part of its national singing programme.