Guidelines for Effective Mentorship of Young Composers

Children have no need of adults to be creative; they are musically playful and inventive on their own. The commitment adults can make to children—what adults can do in schools and elsewhere—is to enact pedagogies that develop communities of creative musical practice, that extend children’s musical capacities, and that nurture and support creative thinking as a disposition—a fundamental part of human life. (Stauffer, 2013, p. 100)

Young composers don’t need composition “teachers" They do need a process of collaborative mentorship that will scaffold and support their experiences in the music composition process.

As Ms. Baldwin shared with her sixth-grade music creation class, she was not there to teach, but was really there to guide them in the exploration of musical sounds and ideas. Teacher-mentors in the Very Young Composer Program shared how the process of mentorship helped them to appreciate composer intent and begin to see themselves as composers working alongside their students. It is often the case that both teachers and students cultivate greater confidence in their composition skills and develop identities as composers through the collaborative mentorship process.

1. Provide a safe environment for musical exploration and shoring. This environment is a shared, supportive, and creative community where all compositional voices are honored and respected by mentor and classmates alike. Margaret Barrett (2006) suggested that providing reassurance was necessary, even for college level composers. Jackie Wiggins and Michael Medvinsky (2013) called for a supportive environment that respects and honors the learner's voice. Embrace the challenge of time in this process. Time is necessary for mentorship of the creative process and development of an accepting, open, classroom community.

2.Establish a fundamental base of musical knowledge from which to begin. Wiggins and Medvinsky (2013) explained this as meeting the learners where they are. Sam Reese (2003) suggests that acknowledging student work, recognizing and verifying their work will encourage growth. This requires understanding the musical learners and their backgrounds, planning a starting point, and being ready to provide simple explanations for unfamiliar material. Creative thinking in music and exploration of musical ideas can begin at any level of experience.

3.Set parameters to promote success in the composition process. Begin with simple prompts that encourage success, and then expand the young composer's range. The idea of sharing one's musical ideas in a composition can seem overwhelming. Laying groundwork by connecting to previous musical experiences, and setting clear goals and expectations (Reese, 2006) are part of this process.

4.Engage in joint problem-solving. Esther Care (2016) encouraged "shared engagement" in the problem-solving process. Many of our authors felt that the composition teacher should participate in joint problem finding and solving by providing multiple alternatives and suggestions for change. With collaborative engagement, both the mentor and classmates can share in the process of problem solving and in the development of composer identity.

5.Encourage extension and revision. Barrett (2006) describes this as "giving license to change." Peter Webster's (2002) concept of “working through" is also a good descriptor. Sam Reese (2003) shared that students should be encouraged to extend, alter and develop their ideas. Encouraging reflection and revision is also an area where joint problem-solving will be necessary. Teacher encouragement in critical listening to one's own compositions is the first step to extension and revision (Ran, 2012).

6.Encourage students to describe and explain their musical ideas and process. Many of our authors support the idea of having students discuss and describe the music, its characteristics, their inspiration, and their ideas. An extension of this process that connects to joint problem-solving is encouraging the mentor tp “mirror" student ideas to help validate them (Reese, 2006).

7.Plan for frequent sharing of musical ideas and compositions. Students who engage in composition develop a strong sense of ownership and agency in their products. Encouraging discussion and critique (from both mentors and classmates) with the process of sharing ideas should be a regular part of the composition community.

8.Embrace opportunities to expand knowledge and musicianship. It is important to bring new musical concepts to the composition process. Connecting musical learning in other areas to student compositions will promote musicianship and create opportunity for meaningful transfer of musical knowledge.

9.Nurture development in musical identity as a composer. Margaret Barrett (2006) shared that composer-teachers should "set parameters for identity as a composer" (p. 201). In a collaborative mentorship relationship, both teachers and students should welcome the opportunity to nurture and develop identities as composers.

Planning for effective mentorship

Conclusion. As Sandra Stauffer (2013) shares, “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. 223). An examination of the approaches and strategies shared in this chapter, as well as study of existing, successful composition mentorship programs, provides an opportunity to share, listing nine guidelines for consideration when planning for effective mentorship of young composers in your classroom.

Making the decision to embrace the process of including composition as a primary area of instruction may require some risk but mentoring young composers as a pathway to develop their creativity and musicianship is a powerful way to guide student musical learning. It is profoundly good teaching.

References: Applebaum, M. (2012). Existential crises in composition mentorship and the creation of agency. Contemporary Music Review, 31(4), 257-268. http://doi.org/10.1080/07494 467.2012.725809

Barrett, M. (2006). “Creative collaboration”: An “eminence” study of teaching and learning in music composition. Psychology of Music, 34(2), 195-218. https://doi.org/10.1177/030573560 6061852

Barrett, M. S. (2003). Freedoms and constraints: Constructing musical worlds through the dialogue of composition. In M. Hickey (Ed.), Why and how to teach music composition: A new horizon for music education (pp. 3-27). MENC.

Burnard, P., & Younker, B. A. (2004). Problem-solving and creativity: Insights from students’ individual composing pathways. International Journal of Music Education, 22(1), 59-76. https://doi.org/10.1177/0255761404042375

Care, E., Scoular, C., & Griffin, P. (2016). Assessment of Collaborative Problem Solving in education environments. Applied Measurement in Education, 29(4), 250-264. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1080/08957347.2016.1209204

Deutsch, D. (2016). Authentic assessment in music composition: Feedback that facilitates creativity. Music Educators Journal, 102(3), 53-59. https://doi.org/10.1177/0027432115621608