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If you’re looking to finetune your use of letter sounds, you’re in the right place. This class works brilliantly all on its own, but you might also want to think of it as the sixth part in our poetry writing series. If so, you should have a look at part 1 with Avicii, part 2 with Against The Current, part 3 with Machine Gun Kelly and part 4 with Tate McRae.

Three of our favourite songs of 2022 also offer us the most brilliant examples of how to shape your poems using specific letter sounds.

Ready? Okay, let’s go…

ACTIVITY 1

We love Architects. As beautiful as they are uncompromising, their use the ‘ow’ sound feels both explosive and empathetic. Maybe we’re hearing the actual shouts fading out or maybe the ‘ow’ sound is actually suggestive of the pain being experienced by the speaker. It hurts him just to listen to those shouts. Or maybe the ‘ow’ sound is meant to reflect BOTH of those things: the physical, very real shouting AND the internal agony created by having to listen to those shouts fade away. Listen to the track, consider the ‘ow’ sound and see what you think.

Architects: ‘when we were young’

"Only now we hear the shouts fading out."

ACTIVITY 2

Again, our attention is drawn to that ‘ow’ sound. Maybe the poet wants us to think about the pain that’s come from the metaphorical blindness – or maybe it’s suggestive of God’s ability to heal that pain. Listen to the track, consider the assonance and see what you think.

Lady Gaga: ‘Hold My Hand‘

"I can see everything you're blind to now 
Your prayers will be answered, let God whisper how"

ACTIVITY 3

We like chloe moriondo’s ‘ee’ sound because it mimics the baring of teeth that she references. There’s a quiet sense of danger looming! Listen to the track, consider the assonance and see what you think.

chloe moriondo: ‘nice pup’

"I'm close to baring my teeth 'cause 
You've left me outside for weeks and 
I'm tired of sleeping in the rain all night 
And I'll still curl up at your feet and 
Try to give you everything you need and 
I'll be a nice pup if that's how you want me."

ACTIVITY 4

In class, we’ve been writing poems that revolve around a message we want to give a family member or friend. Or we’ve been writing a poem about an important message or piece of advice that a family member or friend has shared with us! We took inspiration for our poem from Avicii. Make use of specific letter sounds in your redrafted version of this poem – or in your brand new poem about something else entirely.

Choose to use those ‘ow’ or ‘ee’ sounds for the reasons explored above. Or maybe you would rather use an ‘oo’ (surprise? admiration?), a soft ‘ah’ (relief? adoration?), a hard ‘a'(agony? frustration?) – or something else. Whatever you do, have fun!

Once you’re done, you can send your ideas (or questions) in. We want to publish the most exciting writing and offer advice.

Or have a go at writing about your experiences as a teenager with a little help from the inspirational Taylor Swift!