Implications and Suggestions for the Composition Classroom

For our students to desire employing their personal and musical agency in the composition classroom, we first need to develop our own personal and musical agency with composition so that we may be effective role models and facilitators of composition- based experiences (Randles & Smith, 2012; Wiggins & Medvinsky, 2013). As Sandra Stauffer (2013) stated, “Overcoming personal, professional, and political constraints and moving toward a pedagogical practice that nurtures children’s creative musical abilities requires the courage to take risks and to cultivate one’s own curiosity, wonder, and interest in creating” (p. 100). Throughout this section, I will offer suggestions as to how both in-service and preservice educators can help foster a classroom culture that allows student agency to flourish, as well as how teacher agency can be leveraged for student learning via composition.

“Do I Consider Myself a Composer?”: The Importance of Composition Experience. Researchers have found that in-service educators are hesitant to employ composition in their classes due to lack of preparation to teach composition in their teacher preparation programs (Menard, 2015; Strand, 2006). Similarly, Carlos Abril and Brent Gault (2006, 2008) have noted that preservice educators might have been less likely to engage in composition experiences in their own K-12 music education. They also might feel less confident about their identities as composers, self-efficacy with composition, and their ability to teach composition in part due to performance-based activities being the primary means of music education in the United States (Abril & Gault, 2006 and 2008; Randles & Smith, 2012). How, then, can music educators develop new skills to improve their assistance to their students?

Quite simply, to develop comfort in the role of composer and, by extension, composition teacher, music educators should compose! Our beliefs about composition in music education are directly related to our experiences and self-efficacy with composition (Jaffurs, 2004; Odena & Welch, 2007 and 2009; Randles, 2009; Randles & Smith, 2012). Whenever time allows, create works that are meaningful to you and reflect—learn from—the process. When students are composing during class, balance composing with them and providing feedback to students when requested. Also, there are many print and online resources on how to go about teaching students to compose.

For preservice educators, music teacher educators should consider scaffolding and implementing activities throughout the teacher education course sequence (e.g., courses, units, etc.) that place preservice educators in the role of composer, as well as discuss how to implement composition activities in a K-12 music education program as part of a comprehensive curriculum addressing state curricular standards and district- mandated curricula. Fieldwork experiences (observing educators who implement composition in their instruction and/or preservice educators teaching music through composition) can be powerful moments that “bridge” discussions from methods classes into the real-world classroom. Additionally, music composition faculty might consider creating seminars on composition pedagogy and arranging for music education majors.

Composition faculty also could collaborate with music teacher educators for classes addressing composition pedagogy.

Teachers provide role models for children in the composition environment. Their feelings on composition in a music education curriculum, as well as their personal experience with composition, are reflected in their pedagogy (Csikszentmihalyi et al., 1993; Randles, 2009). Teachers who demonstrate genuine excitement about composition and show interest in furthering their own abilities as a composer have greater potential to pique students’ interest and develop their intrinsic motivation. This type of “modeling” also encourages use of personal and musical agency to engage in composition activities (Csikszentmihalyi et al., 1993; Odena & Welch, 2007).

Compositional Style. Educators’ preservice musical foundation is largely built on the Western classical “canon,” but compositional style need not reside solely within the Western classical realm (Odena & Welch, 2007). Practitioners should endeavor to compose in a breadth of styles similar to what one might teach in K-12 schools, including jazz, hip-hop, rock, pop, and R&B. For example, the Modern Band curriculum (Little Kids Rock, 2020) includes working with composition through popular music styles. Working with improvisation, learning music by ear, and undertaking types of open-ended experiences that have a sense of “play” to them (Koops & Taggart, 2011) will serve as catalysts that broaden students’ conceptions of creativity (Koops & Taggart, 2011; Odena & Welch, 2009), as well as increase students’ confidence and build composition skills.

Additionally, if preservice educators have worked with composition in their teacher preparation programs, they should continue engaging in composition activities once they begin their in-service careers. This will help to continue deepening their identities as composers and feel more comfortable with teaching composition in the classroom. Educators sharing finished compositions or works-in-progress can help to create a culture of creativity in the classroom, strengthen relationships, and establish credibility with students (Kratus, 2016). As a result, the trust between students and educator is strengthened and students feel more encouraged to employ their personal, learner, and musical agency.

Scaffolding. “Letting Go" Providing Space, and Developing Trust in the Learning Community

As educators explore the craft of composition themselves, they soon gain an appreciation for the time and space that is needed so that one has “room” to consider the state of their composition and how to refine it. Gerard (Albert, 2020) demonstrated how purposeful use of time and space provides “room” for students to think, experiment, and refine ideas for their compositions. Gerard’s classroom also exuded the “messiness” of the creative process with students inventing, evaluating, and refining musical ideas in a very non-linear fashion. “Letting go” and providing students with this freedom can enable students’ agency for creative endeavors, but it can also be a challenge for both preservice and in-service educators (Robbins, 1999; Schmidt, 2012; Wright-Maley, 2015).

In addition to the lack of composition background or study of composition pedagogy (Menard, 2015; Strand, 2006), educators might fear a loss of control in part due to their “training” (this word used purposefully) to be teacher-centered managers/directors (Conway & Hibbard, 2020; Regelski, 2002; Smith, 2014). In-service educator participants in Cory Wright-Maley’s (2015) study noted that “ ‘stepping back and letting go’ of controlling student participation is ‘not natural’ ” (p. 222) and requires “trust that [students are] going to do what you want them to do. And that can be really hard” (p. 221).

One of the hallmarks of a learning community is a shared sense of reliance and trust among its members (Blanchard et al., 2011; Kensler et al., 2009; West & Williams, 2017). Others have characterized “trust” as feeling “safe” and respected within the community (Lichtenstein, 2005). Educators who wish to provide students with a sense of personal agency within a learning community would be advised to co-create a classroom culture of trust in which students feel that they can take risks and be vulnerable and yet feel safe and supported by the educator and peers.

Making space for all in the community (including the educator) to share their creative works, as well as establishing meaningful positive relationships with all students, being genuine, and modeling appropriate interactions for students to employ in their own interactions with each other (such as peer feedback) are strategies that must be present in the composition classroom. Educators may wish to engage their students in discussion at the beginning of the academic year to determine what type of environment they, as a learning community, would like to create together and what rules and parameters they would like to establish (Koops & Taggart, 2011). With these guidelines in place, students can feel safer to share their compositions with their peers.