Five Tips for Practicing Musical Storytelling
Illustration from “The Treasure Hunters” by Hazal Mestci
We are often using the term “musical storytelling,” but what does it really mean and how can you practice it yourself?
Musical storytelling is using instrumental music’s emotional arc and nuances to tell a story. To us at Art Beyond the Ink, every piece of music has two parts:
The objective sounds and musical concepts that make up the foundation of the piece – like fast and slow (tempo), loud and soft (dynamics), major and minor (tonality), short and long (articulation), and high and low (pitch).
The story, which is subjective to each listener
The narrative of a musical story is greatly influenced by the musical concepts layered together and can be visually expressed in various forms, such as illustration, silent film, animation, dance, puppetry, theater-making, storyboarding, among others. Or, it can simply take place in your imagination! There are no wrong answers and certainly no age requirements.
Here are five tips for practicing musical storytelling:
1. Think of sounds like colors
While you listen to a piece of music, imagine yourself painting. How would musical sounds and textures translate to colors or brushstrokes? What does your painting look like and how do the colors mix, blend, and morph as the music continues?
A story that, Flavia, age 11, heard within Katie Jenkins’ duo for flute and piano “Constructions”
2. Think of different instruments as characters in a dialogue
If the music has more than one instrument playing at once, imagine them as individual characters with distinct personalities. What are they saying to each other? Are they in agreement? Having a terrible fight? Perhaps they are professing their love to each other? Where are they conversing? Over a dinner table with fancy tea cups and small sandwiches? In the middle of a forest with magic dust floating in the air?
3. See how far you can take an idea
Maybe the opening motive or melody sounds like a flower blowing in the wind? Or a wind-up doll dancing? Or even a stormy sea crashing over a lonely island in the middle of the ocean? Follow this idea as far as you can while the music continues. How can this initial idea continue to form your perspective/narrative for the rest of the piece? You may get stuck doing this (it has certainly happened to us!), but that’s ok. Read the next tip to see why…
4. Don’t pressure yourself to think of something right away
The first time you listen to a new piece of music, you might not have any ideas. It may just sound like… music. There is nothing wrong with simply enjoying a piece of music for its intrinsic value. But that doesn’t mean that you aren’t capable of hearing a story within it. Let your mind wander and see where it ends. Perhaps you’ll find yourself somewhere far beyond the ink…
A story heard by Nacho Ojeda, age 26, while listening to a live performance of “Instantes numa aldeia” by Gerson de Sousa Batista
5. Know that your story can change
As we mentioned above, everyone will hear something different, and this even includes YOU from one day to the next. Depending on the day, your mood, or new ideas and interests, you may hear a certain part in the music completely differently and your story may change. There is no “correct” story. It is a SELF expression that grows, adapts, and lives with you.
It’s been hard to write this post and not pull out my doodling notebook and headphones to get into storytelling – I just become so excited talking about it! If you are excited too or interested in trying this new idea out for yourself, head over to our untold musical stories (scroll to the bottom of the page) and share what you hear in the comments or on social media by tagging us. We can’t wait to hear what you come up with as you start thinking beyond the ink.
Quick Links:
Check out some of our musical stories to see how far you can take your ideas.
Look through some of the musical stories that a (mostly) adult audience heard at our EXPO: New Works Competition Awards Ceremony.
Learn more about how we came up with this way of teaching music here.
Are you an educator interested in bringing musical storytelling to your students? Reach out to us! We would love to work with you and create a custom program that best fits your students’ needs.
