Word Painting

Word painting reflects the literal meaning of music in sound.  

For example:  waterfall = cascading descending motifs, mountain = ascending and descending scale passages, whirlwind = repeating, quick, semitone motifs, thunder rumbling = low pitched, mezzo piano, repeating semitone motifs, and so forth.  

This is an easy entry point into composition, especially for little ones!
How?​

• Select a poem or verse, e.g.: Hickory Dickory Dock, the mouse ran up the clock, the clock struck one, the mouse ran down, Hickory Dickory Dock.  
• Find the words that could suggest a particular sound.  So, from the above verse, it would be "ran up", "struck one", "ran down" and one could insert something like "tick, tock" for "clock".
• Now, explore and experiment with various sounds on the keyboard, percussion or xylophones to make a quickly ascending sound for "ran up" (ascending scale or glissando), likewise for "ran down", "struck one" would require a loud drum beat, or a low, forte note on the piano, etc.

Options

• Perform as group composition by using narrative (narrator or small speech choir), instrumentalists adding sound effects, singing choir, etc.

OR

• Perform as solo composition by composing melodic parts for the verse/poem and adding in the sound effects as body percussion or piano sound effects, e.g. glissandi, and/or body percussion.

See my new composition for piano and body percussion, "Hickory Dickory for Many Mice" on www.sheetmusicplus.com