What if your child's next favorite song isn't one they hear on the radio—but one they create themselves?
When parents think of songwriting, they often imagine professional musicians, recording studios, and years of practice. But one seven-year-old from Australia has a different story to tell.
His experience is a reminder of something we love about music education at Creative Soul: children don't have to be advanced musicians to start becoming creative musicians.
During a family visit to Raymond Island, Australia, seven-year-old Miles Phillips spotted a colorful bird called the eastern rosella. The experience sparked an idea for a song.
With help from his father, Joel, Miles developed that initial idea into a catchy original tune called Eastern Rosellas. The family first shared a recording made at their keyboard, and a fuller band version followed. The song drew more than a million social-media views, made its way onto the radio, and inspired covers by established Australian musicians.
The surprising part isn't the number of views. It's that the entire adventure began with one child's idea.
You can read the original story reported by The Guardian or watch Miles describe how he created the song.
There is a meaningful difference between completing assignments on an instrument and beginning to think of yourself as a musician.
“If you want to move from I take piano lessons to I'm a pianist, then being able to create music is a key part of their creative soul.”
— Creative Soul Music School teacher
We love this perspective because the purpose of music lessons is bigger than checking off pieces in a book. Students also have opportunities to discover their own sound, develop a relationship with music, and express something personal.
Learning to read notes, build healthy technique, and practice consistently is important. So is discovering how those skills can help a student turn an idea into music.
Yes. Children can begin creating simple rhythms, melodies, and lyrics before they can read music fluently. They might hum a tune, clap a rhythm, sing made-up words, or experiment with a few piano keys.
Think about how children learn language: they listen, imitate, experiment, and communicate before they read a book. Musical exploration can begin in much the same way, while music lessons gradually add note reading, technique, theory, and other essential skills.
For a beginner, songwriting might be only three notes and a few words. That still counts as a creative starting point.
Has your child ever changed the words to a familiar song, made up a silly tune in the car, tapped a rhythm on the table, or sung a story about the family dog?
Those playful moments are early musical experiments. Your child doesn't need a perfectly polished song to get started. A small idea is enough.
Sometimes the most valuable thing a parent can offer is permission to experiment without worrying about mistakes.
You don't have to know how to play an instrument to help your child begin creating music. Try this little project together:
Bonus challenge: Bring the recording to your child's next music lesson and ask the teacher to help add a second phrase, new chords, or a simple accompaniment.
The goal isn't a viral hit. The goal is for your child to discover the joy of saying, “I made that!”
A music teacher can take a small idea and help a child build new skills around it. For example:
Suddenly, a concept from a lesson is connected to a song the child actually cares about. Musical fundamentals and creative exploration can reinforce one another.
At Creative Soul, our piano lessons include foundational skills alongside opportunities to explore improvisation and songwriting. Creativity can also be encouraged through guitar, voice, drums, and other instruments, according to each student's interests and goals.
Children can start experimenting with music as soon as they're comfortable singing, clapping, or exploring sounds. Young beginners can invent short rhythmic or melodic ideas without writing anything down.
No. A child can create a song by ear or through singing and improvisation. Music reading can be introduced alongside these creative activities and becomes increasingly helpful as compositions grow more complex.
Not at all. Beginners can start with a short rhythm, three notes, or a few words. As they gain musical experience, they can develop longer melodies, chord progressions, and complete pieces.
Start with something they love. Pets, favorite characters, holidays, and everyday adventures make wonderful songwriting prompts. You can also ask them to invent a rhythm first and add words later.
Yes. Piano lessons can introduce melody, rhythm, chord patterns, notation, and improvisation. Those tools can help children shape their musical ideas and become more confident creators.
Most children won't write a viral hit at seven years old—and they don't need to. The real lesson from Miles's story is that children can have musical ideas worth exploring long before they've mastered an instrument.
Maybe your child will invent a tune about their favorite pet. Maybe they'll write a song for someone they love. Or maybe they'll discover they can create something entirely their own.
That moment of ownership can be one of the most exciting parts of becoming a musician.
Creative Soul Music School offers music lessons for children and adults across our six Dallas–Fort Worth-area locations, including Fort Worth, Keller/Watauga, Southlake/Grapevine, Colleyville/Bedford, and Lewisville/Castle Hills.
Whether your child is just beginning or already loves making music, our teachers can help them develop musicianship, confidence, and creativity.
Explore Music Lessons at Creative Soul →
Story inspiration: Tim Topham of TopMusic. Reporting about Miles Phillips and “Eastern Rosellas”: The Guardian, July 23, 2026.