Learn more about composing music by having a go at these activities.

Ad breaks
Compose an advertising jingle. You could advertise your next gig! Try and make the jingle three lines of four beats, and use rests as an effective way of breaking up the words.

Partnerships
Some people find words easier than melodies to create. Famous songwriting partnerships include Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Paul McCartney and John Lennon, Neil and Tim Finn.

With a friend, work cooperatively on the song words and then on the tune, sharing ideas and working out the notes. Try writing another song and doing the tune first and then adding the words. Which was easier? Perhaps both happened at once!

Be a recording star
Use a tape recorder to tape the music you have created. You may want to record it several times so that it's a bit longer.
Once you have recorded the music off the computer, you can play the tape and try the following:

• sing your own lyrics to the track you composed on the computer;
• play your own accompaniment on a guitar or keyboard;
• perform it "live" and have someone record the song on audio cassette or video.

Review and refine your work, just as a musician like Maree Sheehan would in a recording studio.

Appreciating music
Sit back and listen to the music you have created. You may like to listen to it a couple of times. Then grab some paper and crayons or felts and draw what you hear when the music plays. You might draw shapes and patterns or even a picture that comes to mind when you hear the music. You can also listen to other people's music and do the same thing.

Are you a performer?
Maree Sheehan was influenced by a number of different people and events before she became a performer. Her friends and family, her agent, her teachers, listening to music, lots of practice, and determination all contributed to her success.
What parallels with Maree are there in your life at the moment?