Make arrangements: The Shake It Up! Competition

I am a full-time primary music teacher and for the last two years, I have entered the Shake It Up! competition. The first time, I was a runner-up but over the summer I was lucky enough to win the competition this year for an arrangement of ‘Rockin’ All Over the World’. Arranging music can seem like a daunting task if never done before. However, it can be a really simple and enjoyable process. Whenever I arrange music for my school I always go through the following steps:

Identifying a song

Before any music is written and arranged, I think about songs that would make for a good arrangement. There are things to consider when choosing a song that will make the process easier in the long run. Younger children especially, will only be starting to learn basic ensemble skills. So, keeping all of the following elements as simple as possible helps them to produce a good sound and performance.

Firstly, the song needs to have appropriate lyrics. When you think of a song, if it has lyrics always read them through to check. This is important, as even when you think you know a song well, reading the lyrics through can sometimes throw up a few surprises! It can be quite tricky nowadays to find songs that do not contain any offensive language or messages within them, particularly when working with primary-aged children, so it's always worth checking before you start.

Secondly, a lot of the information needed for the arranging process can be taken from the harmonic structure of a piece. For younger children, I look at songs that have between three and four chords and have structures which are fairly repetitive. ‘Rockin’ All Over the World’ has a 12-bar blues structure. This was effective, as for most of the song the chord structure never changed, so children were able to pick up their parts more easily due to the amount of repetition.

Next, listen and look at the melody. How does it move? Are there lots of leaps or does it move about by step a lot of the time? Is any of the melody sequential? How high or low does it goff These are all important things to consider, whether the melody is being played by an instrument or being sung, as it will determine how easily the arrangement can be performed. If you choose a song that has a melody which moves around a lot then younger and less experienced musicians may find this a real challenge to move from note to note.

Finding a piano/vocal arrangement

Spend some time finding a pre-existing piano/vocal arrangement. These types of arrangements are invaluable as the melody is already written out, and the piano part can be used as a starting point for other parts.

Deciding how many parts you want to arrange for

Think about the following…

Choosing the instruments

This sounds obvious, but think about the instruments you have in your setting. I primarily arrange for glockenspiels, drums and vocals as that is what we use at our school. The first time I entered the competition, my song choice was ‘Eye of the Tiger’, and it became a real talking point amongst the judges due to the fact it was arranged predominantly for glockenspiels! You do not need a full set of orchestral instruments to arrange music. In my opinion, anything goes.

The children's experience of playing in parts

When I first started arranging, I would get the children to play one glockenspiel part based on the root notes of the chords playing minims or crotchets, and have a group of children singing. This can then build to having two or three instrumental parts which move together in harmony. Once the children I teach become more experienced with playing separate parts within an ensemble, I keep the same harmonies but add different rhythmic details within the parts. One part may play minims and another crotchets. Then for the more experienced musicians in the class, a part which contained a range of rhythms.

Writing the vocal part

I start by copying the vocal line from the sheet music into notation software. The benefit of using technology to arrange is being able to hear it back and make changes easily.

Hinchley posing with his Shake It Up! trophy

When I arranged ‘Rockin’ All Over the World’, I wanted to add a second vocal part for interest. I did not change the melody, but split it into two separate parts. Both parts sang the verses together in unison, then during the chorus, each part took it in turns to sing one line at a time. This continued until the last line which went back to two parts in unison for a dynamic contrast. The simple ideas are sometimes the most effective. The vocal part can also serve as an instrumental melody if you are not writing for singers.

Writing the instrumental parts

I usually write three or four instrumental parts. One part comes from the left-hand piano line and the other two or three parts come from the chords that are played in the right-hand of the piano. As mentioned previously, with a pre-existing piano/vocal arrangement all the notes and rhythms are there for you. You can use what is already written as a starting point. Using a software package then gives you the freedom to change the musical information to what you would like.

Teaching the arrangement

When teaching the different parts, I tell the children that they are helping to write the arrangement. Together we trial and discuss what works and what does not. I feel this is an important step, as the children get to see that it is ok for musicians to make mistakes.

The children sometimes come up with alternative ideas for parts they are learning, or they make a mistake which may sound much better than my original idea. This is a truly special process as the children can see the impact they can have on the whole piece.

Lastly, to include any new ideas and the children's input, go back and alter what is written if needed. There will be a moment when it becomes clear that you have fully realised what you wanted to achieve. The children are confidently playing their part and everything sounds just as you imagined.

Arranging pieces of music for children to play is a worthwhile learning experience for all involved. And you never know, you might just win a competition doing it!

If you're interested in applying for the next competition, drop an email to shakeitup@cla.co.uk to find out when the submission window opens.