Curriculum-First Educational Songwriting
Start with the lesson, then give the song movement and memory
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 94%
Rabe begins an educational song by identifying the science or lesson it must teach. That objective controls what information belongs in the lyric, just as Sesame Street's curriculum controlled which creative ideas could proceed. She then gives the song a verse and a B section so it moves somewhere before returning, rather than merely repeating facts in one musical shape. Her singing background helps her convert instructional material into rhyme and rhythm, but the governing test remains comprehension: the child must not be left behind by the sophistication of the presentation. The method combines a fixed learning outcome, selective facts, structural contrast, and memorable language to produce a song that is both useful in a curriculum and enjoyable enough to retain.
Origin
Rabe developed this process while writing in-house songs for the science series 3-2-1 Contact, where explaining assignments to outside composers took longer than writing them herself.
Core principles
- 01The learning objective comes before the entertainment
- 02A song needs structural movement rather than one unchanging section
- 03Rhythm and rhyme make instructional material memorable
- 04Creative freedom operates inside the curriculum
How to run it
- 1
Name the lesson
State the specific science, fact, or behavior the child should understand after hearing the song.
Pro tip Ask, in Rabe's words, what are we trying to teach a child in this song?
Watch out Do not begin with a rhyme that has no curricular purpose.
- 2
Choose the teaching facts
Select the facts that directly explain the lesson and can fit the audience's level.
Watch out If the treatment becomes too sophisticated, the child can be lost.
- 3
Create musical movement
Write a verse and a B section so the song goes somewhere and then comes back.
Pro tip Decide on these structural pieces before polishing every lyric.
- 4
Make the facts singable
Convert the selected facts into rhythmic, memorable language and rhyme where it helps recall.
Pro tip Draw on familiar musical patterns when they make the lesson easier to sing.
Watch out Do not sacrifice factual meaning merely to complete a rhyme.
- 5
Check comprehension
Review whether the finished song still teaches the intended concept clearly to the target child.
Watch out Entertainment that obscures the lesson fails the curriculum.
In the wild
A producer requested a song about the gestation periods of different animals. Rabe wrote a song called I'm Waiting for My Baby and paired it with stock footage of animals and on-screen durations, ending with the idea that the baby was worth the wait.
→ A technical science topic became a coherent educational song and visual sequence.
For a song about a cord of wood, Rabe considered concrete questions such as how many toothpicks or picnic tables could be made from one cord, then worked out what science to include and how to rhyme it.
→ The abstract unit was translated into child-friendly comparisons suitable for a lyric.
Common mistakes
Letting creativity outrank the curriculum
Sesame Street ideas still had to pass the curriculum team; an entertaining piece that did not teach the assigned topic was not enough.
Writing one flat musical section
Without a verse and B section, the song lacks the movement and return Rabe considers key.
Teaching above the child's level
Sophisticated humor or language must not leave children unable to understand the lesson.
Is it for you?
Best for
Writers and producers creating songs that must teach a specific concept to children.
Not ideal for
Songs whose sole purpose is emotional expression without an instructional objective.
From the transcript
“Well, the first thing I did and have done a lot of is perfect example, what's the science? What are we trying to teach a…”
“And then I always make sure that I have a verse and then a what we call a B section. So that the song goes…”
“The real challenge on that show was the curriculum was king.”
From the episode
#854: Tish Rabe — 200+ Children's Books, Getting Picked for Dr. Seuss, Lessons from Early Sesame Street, How to Write 300+ Songs, and More
Tish Rabe