Using a popular song, remove words to be filled in.
Activities
"Hotel California": The popular song by The Eagles, but rewritten to have different verses and a new theme in the chorus. For example, "Welcome to the Tallahassee Shelter, such a lovely place..." Rewrite the song to best fit your objective with the group or individual.
"This one's for the Girls": Take the popular song by Martina McBride and have the individuals write the song about themselves at age 13, 25, and 42. Or have the rewrite the song with advice for women at that age right now. Another activity to help the songwriting is to have them write down good moments or things they did at the ages fo 13, 25, and 42. If they haven't reached that age yet, have them write down what they want to do or have accomplished by those ages.
"Sweet Home ____": Take the popular Lynrd Sknryd song and rename it to whatever town or place you want! Have the group rewrite the verses to what ever they want and keep "Sweet Home ____, where the skies are so blue..."
"If I had a Hammer": This is an activity that I've done with adults with Aphasia as well as adults with TBI, and it's worked great! Here's the process I usually use when doing it in a session: Step 1: Sing the original lyrics (which are simple and repetitive) and after the first 3 verses, Step 2: I stop and ask, "What were the 3 items that the song is talking about?" Then I write down, #1 'Hammer' and ask, "And what do you do with a hammer?" (Verb = hammer) #2 'Bell - Ring' and #3 'Song - Sing.' So now we have a short list of objects and verbs that pair with them. Then I show them pictures of miscellaneous items (Chocolate, a car, an airplane, Tequila (why not?) a suitcase, ect...) and we write down the verbs that correspond with each of them. (Chocolate = eat it), (Tequila = drink it) (Suitcase = pack it) ect... Step 3: I ask the clients to choose 3 items that they want to sing about. Let's say, they choose "Chocolate" and "Airplane" and another one. Step 4: Fill in a few more details about Chocolate, Airplane, ect.
For example: Chococlate = eat it (with what?) Clients' answer: By itself, with Strawberries
Airplane = fly it (where to?) Clients' answer: New York, Mexico
Step 5: Now it's time to sing the song again! Verse 1 looks like this: "If I had some chocolate, I'd eat it in the morning, I'd eat it in the evening, all over this land. I'd eat it by itself, I'd eat it with strawberries. I'd share it with all of my brothers and my sisters all over this land"
Verse 2: If I had an airplane, I'd fly it in the morning, I'd fly it in the evening, all over this land. I'd fly it to New York. I'd fly it to Mexico. I'd fly it with all of my brothers and my sisters all over this land.
Resource
This website has premade made mad libs drawn from Popular Songs.
Contributors
Addison Lucas
Lindi Fogarty