I’ve a pupil who, in UK education parlance, is ‘gifted’. He’s an incredibly talented musician, who leads ensembles, plays percussion instruments, sings and plays the guitar. He has a fantastic ear for melody, a great sense of rhythm, a true passion for music.

 

But there’s one thing he lacks, and it’s something that really stands out to me – he can’t remember structures, or hold a whole piece of music in his head.

 

He truly excels at is leading our school samba band, which is a kind of music based on cues, grooves and calls. You don’t need to remember exactly how many bars a groove lasts, or which order the calls come in – the band are trained to follow the mestre’s instructions.

 

My pupil’s true love is his rock band, and he’s started to write songs for them. it’s very clear to me that while he has great ideas for riffs, grooves and melodies, he isn’t thinking about the structure of his songs. As a consequence the songs go on too long, they get a little boring, and a lot of the time he misses changes when the band play them.

 

Are these big worries for a twelve year old? Absolutely not! We’re talking about a young man who is years ahead of the average child.

 

But what about your songs? Are you thinking of the structure as a whole? Are you worrying about the listener? Are you making sure you have enough development to maintain interest? Or are you writing songs like a twelve year old?