Orchestra Teachers’ Attitudes toward Composing

Composition received significant attention from music educators in the United
States after the release of the National Standards for Arts Education in 1994 (Strand, 2006). In the first decade of the 21st century there were many pedagogical articles and books published to give teachers composing ideas and inspiration (Bolden, 2007; Bush, 2007; Fehr, 2011; Kaschub & Smith, 2009; Moore, 2010; Newberry & Strand, 2007; Ruthmann, 2007; Stambaugh, 2003), yet far fewer publications were specifically targeted toward orchestra teachers (Norgaard, 2005; Turner, 2006). The ASTA National Curriculum (Benham et al., 2011) included Creative Musicianship as a specific content area of study. Most of the learning tasks described in the curriculum were focused on improvisation, however, four of the tasks described specifically involved composing.

Researchers reported that music teachers in all areas rarely included composing experiences in their classes (Orman, 2002; Phelps, 2008; Schopp, 2006; Strand, 2006). The most commonly cited reasons for not including composing were a perceived lack of time, too many other learning activities to cover, uncertainty or fear about teaching composing, and a lack of professional training.

To better understand how composing was being implemented in orchestra classrooms, I surveyed orchestra teachers (Hopkins, 2013a) with items that examined (a) beliefs of composing as an appropriate and valuable activity for an orchestra class, (b) perceptions of composing as difficult to include because of music performance pressures and availability of instructional time, (c) educational preparation to teach composing (college training, professional development, access to materials, self-confidence in ability to plan for composing instruction, self-confidence teaching composing, self-confidence in music technology skills), (d) concerns about maintaining a teacher-centered versus learner-centered classroom environment.

My findings indicated that implementation of Standard 4, “Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines,” was uneven throughout the string education profession, with teachers almost evenly divided over the inclusion of composing experiences within school orchestra curricula. Approximately half of the respondents included composing experiences at least once a year, and half rarely or never included composing in their curricula. However, the vast majority of respondents believed composing can be an appropriate and valuable activity for an orchestra class.

My findings also suggested that since the release of the National Standards in 1994, Standard 4 had made an important impact on string education. Orchestra teachers born in 1975 or later reported higher levels of pre-service composing experiences and more positive beliefs toward including composing in the school orchestra curriculum. The teachers who had more pre-service composing experiences were found to have more positive beliefs toward including composing in the school orchestra curriculum, but very few of the respondents had received training in teaching composing within their music education coursework. Other researchers have recently found that orchestra teachers often still feel insecure about leading composing activities and may pass this insecurity on to their students (Pellegrino, Beavers, & Dill, 2019). Orchestra teachers are often looking for ideas about how to design composing projects. As Lehman (2008) observed, teachers with no training in how to teach composing are unlikely to feel comfortable including composing in their classes. Many orchestra teachers who exclude composing from their curriculum may do so simply because they do not feel comfortable leading a composing activity.

My research findings suggested that many orchestra teachers who believe composing is valuable for students do not include it due to performance pressures. For example, 94% of respondents agreed they were always busy preparing for the next performance, 91% agreed that it was difficult to find the time to teach composing in their orchestra classes, and 59% reported they value composing but are unsure where to fit it into the curriculum (Hopkins, 2013a). Several other researchers have also found that ensemble directors do not include composing because they believe there is not enough instructional time to accomplish their other curricular goals (Menard, 2015; Schopp, 2006; Strand, 2006).

The respondents who included composing in their classes structured the projects in different ways. The most common approach was a concurrent approach (33%), with students composing individually in the classroom setting. Thirty percent of respondents gave composing assignments for students to complete individually outside of class. Twenty-three percent of respondents used collaborative composing in small groups (e.g., duets, trios, quartets), while 15% used collaborative composing with the entire large ensemble.

One of my research findings was that teachers who work at the middle school level were more likely to include composing in the curriculum than teachers who work exclusively at the high school or elementary level (Hopkins, 2013a). Middle school seems ideally suited for orchestra composing projects. Middle school students have developed their performance skills and knowledge of the notation system, but do not have the demanding concert and festival performance pressures characteristic of so many high school programs.

Taken collectively, the research findings indicate an ongoing need for improved teacher training in composing pedagogy. For pre-service teachers, composing projects can be included within string techniques classes, orchestra methods classes, and fieldwork. For in-service teachers, conference and workshop presentations emphasizing strategies for including composing while still maintaining quality music performances remain important and need to have a continued presence at state and national teacher conferences. Continued development of print and online pedagogical materials for including composing in orchestra classes is important for the string education profession. Professional development providers need to offer teachers examples of how they can include composing projects while also preparing for their performances. The next section will include suggestions for addressing that ongoing issue.