peers. When they share their pieces with you or the class you can simply guide them by asking questions like:
Figure 1. A reduction of measures 6-9 of Steve Hodges’ Wind Mountain Overture (grade 1.5).
4) Compose with a theme. Give your students an idea or image and have them create their own music to that theme. This can be used to reinforce the performance techniques you are working on in rehearsal. A common example is having students compose “spooky” music. I require my students to demonstrate to me how ar- ticulations, dynamics, and rests can be used to make a piece sound interesting, or in this case “spooky”. This reinforces the music we are preparing for our Halloween concert while also allowing me to assess students’ understanding of as- signed techniques or terminology.
5) Allow students to compose in groups. A local music vendor sponsors our yearly composition con- test. Throughout the spring my 7th and 8th graders compose one-to-a-part ensemble pieces that build from several com- posing activities we have done throughout the year. Stu- dents share and rehearse their compositions in class while providing each other feedback and peer support. Students are developing musical independence while also creating a composing community of practice (Wenger, 1998; Wiggins, 2015). When students compose in groups or share their com- positions with peers to receive feedback, students grow to respect each other’s musical voices and learn that one can be musically strong in many different ways, not just as per- formers. This is often done by musicians in the rock band or garage band setting and can be just as useful in the school ensemble setting as well (Davis, 2005, Allsup, 2002).
To help some groups as they compose their ensemble pieces, I provide a basic chord progression that provides scaffold- ing for students who need assistance with a possible har- monic structure for their piece. We tie in our concert pieces with the student compositions while discussing ABA form and explore ways to make our B sections different from the A. This shifts the focus during rehearsals from “play softer/ louder, play longer/short, play faster/slower” to students looking and recognizing the composition techniques used to create contrast in concert repertoire. My students, through composing, are thinking as performers and composers while rehearsing their concert pieces and their own compositions.
Young musicians really don’t need too much assistance to compose music, only the opportunity and freedom to do so. When they are stuck they will seek help from you or their
1. Where do you feel this composition is off? What could have been done differently? 2. Johnny says he wanted this part to be more exciting. What could he have added to the music to make this happen? 3. How does the composer of our concert music handle the transition from the A section to the B section? 4. Susan says this note sounds wrong here, what other notes could we try?
Young musicians know what they like and they know what they don’t like. Some of the most meaningful, musical con- versations that have taken place in my band room have been while discussing and sharing student compositions and mak- ing connections to our rehearsed repertoire.
The Benefits of Composing in Performance-Based Ensembles I think we can all agree that better musicians make better performers. The stronger a young musician understands mu- sic, the greater the ability they have to make the dozens of simultaneous decisions that are involved in musical perfor- mance. Many directors ask me about balancing the perfor- mance expectations of my ensembles while also having them compose so much throughout the year. We perform many concerts, at the appropriate difficulty, at a superior level. We are successful in festival and competition settings and we have students participate in honor ensembles and solo and ensemble festival. In addition, my students are also compos- ers. My students genuinely enjoy composing and constantly request more opportunities to do so. Many students compose their own music on their own and are eager to share it with me. As a result of engaging in composing experiences regu- larly in the context of the band rehearsal, students:
• Used composing as a tool to develop their instrumen- tal performance technique. • Took more ownership and initiative in their learning. • Were agentive in their learning process, regularly en- gaging in self-assessment, goal setting, and reflection on their growth. • Developed a musical community through their pro- cesses of composing and sharing their compositions, supported throughout by peer and teacher scaffolding. • Made meaningful connections with their ensemble repertoire through engagement in composing. • Were able to demonstrate greater musicalunderstand- ing than what they can perform.
Assessment: Showing Student Growth Students are able to show their musical understanding
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