Eighth Graders Bring Their Writing to Life with Music

Music and English Language Arts (ELA) classes collaborated on a creative and innovative project.

“We’ve been talking about how music affects mood and how elements in the music can make you feel different emotions like scared or happy,” said music teacher Mrs. Marie Williams. “We discussed how a faster tempo makes us feel more excited and how a slower tempo could make us feel lonely or sad.”

Back in November, eighth graders at Somers Middle School put their writing skills to the test by participating in National Novel Writing Month. Throughout the month, they worked on writing novels in their ELA classes. Students set a goal to write 10,000 words in a month and then reevaluated their goals along the way. The exercise was designed to encourage writers to set one large goal and then complete it by meeting small, attainable daily or weekly goals.

“We wrote stories in ELA, and then we chose an excerpt, which is just a part of the story,” said Jack Loscher. “Then we’re using music to back up the story, so it makes it more interesting. So, if it was a movie, it would be what you hear in the background.”

In February, those same students worked with their novels again, but this time in their music classes. Working together in pairs, students chose excerpts from their writing assignments and selected one to work on further. First, the students recorded themselves reading their chosen excerpt using Soundtrap, a program that allows students to create and mix music. The pair chose whatever section they liked best and that they thought would sound interesting with music added.

“We picked mine,” said Jules Cacsire. “The excerpt we chose is about a girl finding her real parents after running away from some kidnappers, and then she wakes up. The story is very stressful and scary.”

Once they had recorded their excerpts, the students then had to set them to music that would complement their writing, similar to how a movie soundtrack complements the actors on the screen. Students decided on the mood, tone, and tempo of the music to accompany their writing. For some that meant slow, sorrowful music with string instruments. For others, it meant upbeat guitar and piano pieces. Students could even choose from a selection of sound effects that would enhance their readings.

“The music is going to be lonely and eerie,” Loscher said about his project with Cacsire. “We’re going to use violin and viola, and maybe piano too. We’ll use a slower tempo and then have moments when we speed it up to show the action in the story for a dramatic effect.”

“When she jumps through the window, we might have a crash and glass breaking,” added Cacsire.

Collaboration between classrooms reinforced the International Baccalaureate learn profile attributes of thinker, risk taker, reflective, and open-minded while expanding their learning environment. It’s a real-life example of how multiple disciplines can work together to create a final product that is unique and inventive.

“Mine is going to be exciting because the excerpt I chose is about a moment in a volleyball game,” said Ella Barlanti. “I loved how it turned out. I am so proud of it.”