Integrating Creativity Through Composition

As previously mentioned, while general perceptions of a music program are such that there are outlets for students to be creative in such courses, the nature of a band program is not necessarily so. For the average student, their time in band is spent trying gain facility on an instrument and possibly never really creating with their instrument. Over the last few years, in my curriculum, I have slowly integrated more and more improvisation and more composition into my students’ class time as an attempt to forge more personal connections to their instruments and more importantly, a more personal creative outlet.

“Besides composition being a National Standard in music education, there are several reasons why a music educator might want to include composition in the music classroom. Composition activities should not be relegated to only some classes or grades, but composition should be prevalent, or at least, evident in all grades in schools and across all music disciplines. To begin with philosophy, to learn about music, students must be actively involved in doing music.” (Antonetti, 2013)

While few students become composers or arrangers, since beginning to plant the idea that anyone can compose music, several students who have come and gone through our music program have found work opportunities in such fields. We recently discussed the idea of goal setting for students and I made a note that helping students to “see the point” of their classwork is more crucial than ever. “In the hands of great teachers, common curriculum standards are personalized to students’ interests, creating intrinsically motivated learners” (Goodwin & Hubbell, n.d.) Showing current students that there are opportunities for a future with music can help provide motivation for the students who do not find it through simple performance.

Sources

Anonetti. Jennifer J. (2013). Current status of incorporating composition into music education classrooms in Kansas. https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/bitstream/handle/1808/13009/Antonetti_ku_0099M_13041_DATA_1.pdf;jsessionid=1CC4EE486B6F7EF1ACFB4A7B1F561882?sequence=1

Goodwin, B., & Hubbell, E. R. (n.d.). The 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching. Retrieved from https://platform.virdocs.com/r/s/0/doc/578098/sp/176919545/mi/566608398?cfi=%2F4%2F4