Project 1: Arranging a Folk Song

It can be a challenge to find folk song that can serve as the basis for an arranging exercise. Many great folk songs have already been used in choral arrangements and the students will know these from their years of singing in choirs. Additionally, some folk songs have been found to be fairly problematic; songs like “Jim Along Josie” (Waller-Pace, 2019) and “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” (Ermolaeva, 2019), with racist backgrounds, while songs like “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and “My Lord, What a Morning” involve appropriation, should be researched and their historical as well as textual meanings discussed. Many of the songs can serve to help students to develop more interest in seeking social justice for themselves and their peers. Students should learn how to be sensitive to the ways that songs can express cruelty and unkindness, developing their social awareness and responsible decision-making abilities.

Public domain music is useful for finding songs, both because there would be no licensure issue if an arrangement is performed in public and because it is worthwhile to teach students about copyright. There are indexes of public domain folk songs that can be perused for ideas.⁹ Many songs from early pop and rock traditions are also now in the public domain, such as “Rockin’ Robin,” “House of the Rising Sun,” and even “Love Me Do” (Mersereau, 2015). As David Childs (2007) and Gwyneth Walker wrote, it will be important for students to connect to the song selected, so it will be a good idea to give the students a list of folk songs to choose from.

Determine the Word Stresses and General Rhythm of the Text in Melody.In the case of “Rockin’ Robin” by Leon Rene (1958) it may seem unnecessary to write out the scansion but such well-known songs can provide novice composers with good practice. Even pop songs can be interpreted in a host of ways, so discussion around syllables may give students creative insights. For example, the song “Rockin’ Robin,” there are some places where there could be different interpretations of the level of stress. I landed on the following scansion for the introduction and first verse:

Discuss the Meaning of the Text.Not all folk songs convey a deep sense of meaning but the holistic qualities can give students a lot to work with. The history of the song may also provide creative ideas. For example, comparing the two recordings of “Rockin’ Robin” would allow the students to think about the ways that these two artists created different musical journeys for listeners. Michael Jackson’s 1972 version (Galaxy Music Notes, 2020) is arranged for the boy soprano voice in C major and is in a much higher key than the original version, recorded by Bobby Day and the Hollywood Flames in 1958 (Galaxy Music Notes, 2020). The 1958 version provides stronger rhythmic gestures and a backbeat (verses using a rhythmic accompaniment on beats 2, 2+ and 4), and is in G major for the tenor lead. The verses are a cappella with brass echo, then vocal echo “tweets” in harmony under the chorus. Jackson’s recording has a strong downbeat until the chorus, when the back- beat starts in the accompaniment instruments. The two versions of this song could be presented for students to discuss reasons for the changes made to the key, rhythmic structure, and accompaniment.

Students should next decide upon the emotional and holistic qualities they intend to convey to the audience in their own arrangement. it may be beneficial for them to write their ideas in a composing project journal and hold a partner discussion to brainstorm the ideas with a peer, which would allow them to practice self-awareness and relationship skills. Students may, for example, decide that “Rockin’ Robin” should have a feeling of joy, swiftness, bounce, direct movement (rather than stopping the flow of the song to add atmosphere or development), and to flow freely, all of which might inspire listeners to dance.

Determine Voice(s) for the Melody Line and the Chord Structure that Brings out the Melody.If using the 1958 version for inspiration, students might want to perform the song in G major, suggesting the tenor or alto sing the melody. Students can easily find the chords for most public domain songs by searching online. The chords for “Rockin’ Robin” are I7 throughout the verses, then IV-I-IV-V-I progression in the chorus. The tenor or alto voice can hold the melody throughout (the top voice in Figure 31.7) or students may decide to give the melody to a different voice in the chorus, allowing the other voices to echo “tweets” or lyrics. Or, they might decide that all voices joining together to end the chorus would express joy through the homophony (Figure 31.7).

Figure 31.7. “Rockin’ Robin,” homophonic chorus ending

As they begin to write parts, students should learn that voicing a chord progression can easily lead to static accompaniment voices. Alternatives to homophony can include arpeggiations, passing or neighbor tones, solo singing with rhythmic accompaniment, imitation in voices, or vocables like “oo” and “ahh.” These alternatives can enliven the energy and emotional quality of an arrangement.

Experiment with Imitation.Once students have learned the chords to accompany their melody, they can begin to experiment with imitation and descants. Gwyneth Walker (2007) wrote that she prefers to adapt songs in innovative ways rather than reproducing the song as it would originally be heard. The original version of this song uses a call-and-response style in the chorus, which can sound similar to imitation. However, students should be encouraged to explore different ways that imitation could be used. For example, singers could decide they want to use words rather than the original “tweets” (Figure 31.8) or add imitation to the verses for greater movement (Figure 31.9).

Figure 31.8. Experimenting with imitation in chorus

Arranging Musical Ideas into a Completed Piece.Once students have decided on musical ideas, they should arrange those ideas into a whole. Simple folk and pop songs are the quickest to put together because of the pre-existing AB form but students should think of any form as an emotional journey, taking the audience from whatever mood they experience at the start to the desired outcome. Students should listen to examples of effective folk song arrangements to begin this step.