Addressing Marginalization through Music Composition Pedagogy

The complex challenges of marginalization cannot fully be solved in music classrooms, but a thoughtful approach to teaching and learning can serve to counter some of its negative effects. Music composition teaching, for example, can be tailored to focus on the unique background, needs, and interests of each student. This approach, conceived of as a bespoke pedagogy, allows teachers to engage in an emergent curriculum and to honor the different ways that students communicate how they think and feel alongside what they know and can do. In this work, teachers “study” their students. This enables teachers to fine-tune their knowledge of each student, by noticing and seeking to understand ways of communicating meaning, cultural references, and traditions that may differ from their own.

To practice this pedagogical approach, teachers can begin by striving to expand their musical knowledge and experiences beyond what is familiar and well-known to them. Teachers can then help young composers by:

- being perceptive listeners willing to offer encouraging feedback about what they hear
- offering their skills as performers to play or sing student compositions and offering the performer’s perspective about things that work well or things that are difficult for performers to do
- composing both with and alongside students to model a process filled with both challenges and joy
- developing and purposefully applying pedagogical skills featuring a range of techniques and strategies to guide students as they develop their compositional capacities (Kaschub & Smith, 2016a).

Every teacher can begin with the first two bullets as they draw on skills that most music teacher training programs emphasize. Joining students in the act of composing may require a little more bravery as many teachers have not experienced composition beyond the etude assignments offered in music theory classes. And finally, the last bullet point reflects a deeper level of study and expertise, which teachers can attain through engagement in workshops and courses, or through immersion in the trove of readily available books, book chapters, and journal articles focusing on music composition.

The other key task for teachers involves making space for students to practice and develop their musical artistry. The first component of space is environmental. Students must feel comfortable in asking questions that address their need-to-know moments. They need to feel supported and nurtured as they try new things. A classroom atmosphere that welcomes new ideas and compositional risk-taking is an environment in which young composers can thrive.

The second facet of space lies in artistic autonomy. Horton, Kohl, and Kohl (1998) argue that “You provide people with opportunities to learn for themselves by making decisions” (p. 137). Teachers can help students by asking them to make decisions about how music might sound, what ideas they wish to pursue, what ideas they think should be discarded, how they will know when their piece is “right,” or finished, and much more. Further, composers need to practice conceiving composition projects and managing the steps necessary to bring their ideas to sound with minimal teacher input.

These processes require teachers to step back and allow students to take charge of their artistry. However, teachers still play a critical role. Their guidance fosters the growth of each composer’s musical work and sense of personal identity. They facilitate formal acts of composition that can expand each composer’s musical horizons. (Verhoeven, Poorthuis, & Volman, 2019). This work is especially important considering the challenges presented by different types of marginalization.