Building a Positive Composer Identity

Identity formation is best achieved in a welcoming and supportive environment. In the music classroom, this environment is one where students feel they can take musical risks without fear of comparison or judgment. Composition is an activity well-suited to provide this environment as lessons can be tailored to capitalize on individual students’ interests and working styles as they progress in the development of their compositional capacities (Kaschub & Smith, 2009). Within this process, students will likely experience the emergence of their “compositional voice”—the characteristic sound choices and features that signal the work of a particular composer (Stauffer, 2001; Kaschub & Smith, 2009). The development of compositional voice, viewed as one dimension of the personal identity of the composer, requires that students engage in projects that are authentic to the work of composers. While the facets of this work are likely innumerable, there are key experiences that teachers can provide to help students refine their artistic goals, compositional practices, and self-concept.

Establishing Artistic Goals. Composers define their artistic goals. Even when accepting commissioned work, composers must define for themselves exactly what they will create within the parameters provided by their employer. To develop this skill with very young composers, teachers might offer choices within a composing activity (e.g., “Should we use pitched instruments or unpitched instruments to make the ostinato?”) as a stepping-stone to broader autonomy. Older students can practice compositional reframing as they review teacher-created composition project guidelines and then discuss how they envision the final product. This shared vision then serves to guide and to unify group efforts as students undertake the composing process together. As composers gain experience, they eventually will be able to self-design and define the parameters of their projects. This is one of the final steps toward compositional independence.

In all cases, it is important that the teacher serves as a guide by asking questions and helping students refine their goals in ways that increase the likelihood of success as the composer or compositional team defines it. As one might expect, this can be a delicate task. Student composers can often imagine music of far greater complexity than they have the current skills to achieve. In such cases, the teacher serves as both a guardrail and a sounding board to help the students balance imagination and reality. As students practice decision-making and see the results of their efforts—both positive and negative— they refine their skills of definition. Guiding students to reflect on their growth over time can contribute positively to their evolving self-image.

Connecting Compositional Capacities. Kaschub and Smith (2009 & 2016b) have identified and described the musical capacities that students may develop by focusing on the feelingful, body-based sonic perception, and elemental aspects of music. The three capacities central to the role of composer are feelingful intention, musical expressivity, and artistic craftsmanship. With respect to identity formation, students exercise the capacity of feelingful intention by considering their own feelings and/or the feelings of others in relation to musical sounds. The former consideration requires self-knowledge while the latter requires empathy; composers must put themselves in the place of others, consider their experience, and then decide how to address the feelings that arise through the sounds of music. Composers then build these sound-feeling relationships by assembling the elements of music (artistic craftsmanship) in ways that invite perception (musical expressivity) so that others can experience music-inspired emotion and draw meaning from their encounters with the composer’s music. Each composition builds upon an awareness of self and others to inform the composer’s self-concept as well as their conception of social position.

Solo and Collaborative Work. Composers at all stages of experience and development benefit from opportunities to work alone and with other composers. While certainly not a requirement, it may be helpful for students to experience composing in teams or small groups before undertaking solo work. As composers work together, they can offer their ideas to the group, explain their thinking, and hear why their peers agree or disagree with their thinking. Similarly, students have an opportunity to hear the ideas of others and respond to their questions. When properly scaffolded by a teacher, within-group discussions can help students develop respect for the thoughts, ideas, and feelings of others while also sensing the value they add to the team.

These within-group exchanges form the foundation for self-critique (Beynon, 2016). When students with prior group experience work on their own, they internally mirror the dialogues shared with peers. The questions they once heard from the cocomposers become the questions they ask and answer themselves. This ability to think critically about their composing processes serves to build confidence in their decisionmaking skills and ultimately results in greater self-assurance. Similarly, for students accustomed to working on their own, perhaps outside of school, the feedback provided by peers and others can provide new ways of thinking about and creating their compositions.

Social Grace in Giving and Receiving Feedback. One ofthe hardest tasks faced by composers is the challenge oflistening to and processing what others think and feel about their work. Composition, even when undertaken with collaborators, is an activity that exposes the self. Meaningful compositions are an extension ofwhat students think, feel, and believe. They are personal. For this reason, teachers should always tell students if there is an expectation of sharing. A student may feel the need to write a song about the death of their pet, but they may not want to cry in class when that song is performed. Knowing that there is an expectation that their work will be shared may help them choose to focus on a different topic or concept.

Above all, the sharing of compositions must take place in an environment where all participants feel safe, nurtured, and supported. This requires composers to meld their skills of music perceptions with a degree of social grace. Before being invited to share thoughts and opinions about other’s music, composers should be invited to consider: How might my observations help another composer? What is the best way to say what I am thinking? What type of information will be valuable to the composer as they continue to develop their work or move on to their next project?

As students prepare to share their work and hear comments from their peers, they should be encouraged to think beyond “I like” and “I don’t like” comments. The thoughts they share must reflect the nature of the composition which is not to be confused with the composer’s performance of the work.³ For example, a student might offer, “I hear that you have used two trumpets at the beginning and then a trumpet and trombone together when the theme repeats. I think the trumpet and trombone combination is more effective because the two timbres are easy to hear.” This comment reflects the preference of the listener and provides the composer with information about audience experience that may inform their revision process. Conversely, a similar thought reduced to “The two trumpets at the beginning don’t sound very good,” does not provide the composer with useful information, nor does “You didn’t play the theme very well.”

Composers who are guided to consider how they would like to hear feedback become more empathetic and gentler with their comments. They also begin to recognize the value they can add to their peers’ compositional experience. These observations contribute to their growth as composers, to their sense of value within the composing community, and to their sense of self-identity. These skills may also transfer to their work as deep listeners and close readers when they engage with stories, poems, visual art, and other art forms.

Self-Compassion. Composers need a great deal of self-compassion to return, time and time again, to a process that is built of continuous challenges and hurdles. Self-compassion is a practice in which students can accept that they are feeling frustrated by a challenge or disappointed that something is not working in their piece while recognizing that the situation is likely temporary. Acting with kindness towards oneself and remembering that imperfection is part of the journey is a critical skill equivalent in value to mastering any compositional technique.

Students struggling with self-compassion often express their feelings through frustration or anger. They may become so emotionally charged that they cannot make progress with their work. Others may become paralyzed by their need for perfection and seek to abandon their pieces to begin other work.

Teachers can help students develop self-compassionate responses by introducing a way to externalize the problem. Begin by inviting the student to imagine a fellow composer who is experiencing the exact same problem. Ask the student what advice they would offer to the friend. Then ask them if they can apply that same piece of advice to their situation. This strategy, simple as it may be, often works but is best when students have taken a few moments to step away from the intensity of their current challenge. When students develop strategies to solve their own problems and experience success, they come to believe that maybe they can develop strategies to solve other problems as well. Developing self-belief is an act of empowerment that allows students to think positively about their abilities and positions them for future success.