Developing Engaging, Enriching, Empowering, and
Creative Composition Projects for Your Classroom
ILMEA Summer Learning Series
Jesse Rathgeber
Compostional Contexts
Compositional Contexts: It is important for both creative and expressive development that students get chances to create on their own, in small groups, and even as a whole class. Hickey (2012) notes that “[s]tudents see different types of skills in group versus individual situations—skills that are important for music as well as social growth and development” (p. 20). In both settings, the roles of the teacher as facilitator, questioner, and guide are of the utmost importance. A teacher’s role with group composition is to help them negotiate workloads, navigate challenges, and reflect.
Whole-class
Understandings can be enhanced during introductory experiences and mini-lessons through whole-class composition. In these experiences, the teacher acts as both model and as facilitator:
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Teacher models the nested tasks inherent in a larger composition project.
- Teacher facilitates student discussion and choices.
When composing in small groups, groups of three to five students seem to work the best in ensuring that all students are actively participanting, avoiding social loafing, and feeling that their ideas and contributions matter. To foster group work, Barron and Darling-Hammond (2008) suggest the use of specified and rotating rolls. During initial experiences, the teacher may specify roles. As students become comfortable with group composing, the class can generate the roles themselves. Possible group rolls might include (Rathgeber, n.d.):
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Scribe or recorder: Jots down important musical ideas and/or takes down reflections.
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Producer: Helps group members remain on task.
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Engineer: Handles all technological duties.
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Resource Manager: Keeps track of resources used by the group.
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Researcher: Looks up solutions to group challenges via media, other groups, and teacher assistance.
FISHBOWL: A useful modeling and reflective strategy for developing group work is called “fishbowling.” In “fishbowling,” one group goes to work for a short period while the rest of the class observes. At the end, the teacher facilitates a discussion in which observers ask questions of the group in the fishbowl and the entire class reflects on important strategies either at work or needing development. These lessons can be applied to all group contexts. “Fishbowling” can also be a useful tool to bring out emergent compositional approaches.
Group Work
When students are working solo, teachers must find ways to help the composer self-monitor their progress, organize their work, and identify their own strategies. Oftentimes, individual composers work well when they are allowed to select from a few teacher-generated graphic organizers.
Individual
