Developing Engaging, Enriching, Empowering, and
Creative Composition Projects for Your Classroom
ILMEA Summer Learning Series
Jesse Rathgeber
Curricular Considerations
Etudes
A single composition task “comprise[s] many smaller tasks that require students to analyze problems, generate possible solutions, and judge possible answers as appropriate or not” (Kaschub & Smith, 2009). Etudes help students explore these smaller tasks through more specific, closed compositional prompts that intentionally ask them to discover, explore, and solidify their understanding of:
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An individual musical dimension or concept.
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Intersections and interactions of musical dimensions of concepts.
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Specific compositional techniques.
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The use of a creative tool (instruments, technology, etc.).
As closed tasks, etudes can allow students to demonstrate conceptual understanding and, thus, the outcomes can be used as evaluative data points.
This diagram illustrates a model curricular framework in which students construct conceptual understanding via explorations connected to the dimensions of music (Wiggins, 2009). Concepts are woven together through hands-on exploration in the classroom to provide students a chance to understand the complex tapestry that is music. In this framework, the creation of musical works is at the forefront through the use of etudes and free-compositions, among other creative enterprises.
This section discusses:
- Etudes
Free Compositions
Students need chances to self-identify their compositional tasks (Reimer, 2003) as a means of furthering their own creative skills and expressive voice. Free composition projects involve generally open tasks with limited teacher-imposed parameters. Also, whereas etudes can provide evaluative data points, the assessment of free compositions involves much more reflection and dialogue. Since these projects are not tied to evaluative grades, the outcomes are often more creative and highly meaningful to students (Hickey, 2012; Wiggins, 1999).
Mini-Teaching
Throughout the process of creating etudes and free compositions, the teacher's primary roles are that of facilitator, questioner, and advisor working with individuals or small groups to address their specific issues. While working on individual concerns, a teacher may identify a concept, task, technique, or tool that would benefit everyone. The teacher can introduce and explain this topic to the class through a mini-lesson in which they provide short chunks (5-10 minutes) of direct instruction that are timely and relevant in response to emergent student concerns (Calkins, 1994; Ruthmann, 2007). Examples of mini-lesson concepts include:
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Common introduction and conclusion techniques.
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Preservation and/or notation considerations.
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Advanced use of a piece of technology.
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Group work strategies.