Thought Processes and Strategies of Students Engaged in Music Composition 1

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to explore thought processes and strategies of three 8-, three 11-, and three 14-year-old students that occurred while composing with technology. In this descriptive study, the following data were analyzed: (1) students' thoughts, responses, and behaviours that occurred during three composing sessions; (2) students' verbal responses to questions, given after each composing session, about their composing activities; and (3) students' verbal responses to questions, given before and after all composing sessions, about composing in general. The findings from the above three analyses were examined to discern what developmental patterns, if any, emerged across ages. Analysis of data revealed differences within and across ages in terms of composing processes and manipulation of elements. The results show that there may be a continuum of strategies and processes that are utilized while composing. As well, engaging students in metacognitive activities can raise the depth and scope of their awareness, and encourage them to begin to think like a composer.usic programs have been designed to offer significant musical experiences in an j~ attempt to nurture each student's potential to perceive and respond to the expressive qualities of music (Reimer, 1989). These programs involve the students in a variety of music behaviours such as performing, composing, improvising, reading, listening to, and moving to music. Support for experiences in music composition by the music education profession is noted (see MENC, 1994;Moore, 1989;Reimer, 1989;Webster, 1987), and yet our understanding of and encouragement for the development of the student-composer is insufficient. Enriching our knowledge about how students compose could be facilitated by exploring the thought processes and strategies involved as students compose.There is little guidance for music educators-both in the field and in training-about how to devise, structure, and engage students in appropriate compositional activities, and to assess their outcomes in school-based music programs. Observing students compose, and analysing their processes and strategies may provide music educators with needed insights into how students approach composing activities. This information, in turn, might provide guidance for music educators when structuring compositional activities in K to 12 general music programs.In this study I explored students' thought processes and strategies that occurred while they composed with technology. Questions that came to mind as I began to read the literature on how students compose included: How do the students approach composing? Which musical elements capture their attention and in what way? How do they interact with the elements? What are their perceptions of their composing activities? Do those perceptions represent what occurred? What are the students' thoughts about composing in general? Would their thoughts change after having experienced composing activities? From a developmental perspective, what, if any, are the similarit...

Mapping Pathways: Fostering creativity in composition

“…The stages students experience in composing have been reported (Bunting, 1987(Bunting, , 1988Burnard, 1995;Christensen, 1993;Citron, 1992;Cohen, 1980;Daignault, 1996;Hickey, 1995;Kratus, 1989;Levi, 1991;Wiggins, 1992;Younker 2000a). A small number of studies focusing on adolescent composers have provided some relatively consistent ndings suggesting that compositional approaches relate to types of performance knowledge.…”

“…This approach was congruent with the rationale of a constructivist approach. We were aware of factors that attributed to differences in composing strategies (Bamberger, 1977;Burnard, 1995;DeLorenzo, 1989;Scripp et al, 1988) and cognisant of how children, across ages, manipulate musical elements (Barrett, 1996;Kratus, 1985, Swanwick & Tillman, 1986Younker, 2000a). The focus of this project, however, was to identify any regularities of composing strategies (an experience recorded from both action and re ection) of students across ages, musical tuition and backgrounds.…”

“…It was found that although students experienced constraints and freedom differently, individual approaches to composing remained consistent across tasks and related to factors concerning performance skill. Younker (2000a) reported that composing strategies of students without formal music instruction outside of the school context, differed more within an age group than across ages, suggesting that factors other than age and musical training in uence how these students approached composing. Younker (2000b) also found that university-aged students exhibited similar strategies as those in the previous study, further implying that in uences other than age and musical training affect how young composers approach composing.…”

“…There are a growing number of writers who have taken time to consider and have gone some way toward describing and illustrating many of the skills and knowledge that help students to compose (Barrett, 1996;Burnard 2000a, b;DeLorenzo, 1989;Hickey, 1995;Kratus, 1994;Mellor, 2000;Seddon & O'Neill, 2000;Sundin et al, 1998;Swanwick & Tillman, 1986;Wiggins, 1994;Younker & Smith, 1996;Younker, 2000a). Previous research on musical development has suggested that there is a hierarchical relationship between strategy use and age (Kratus, 1994), whilst Swanwick and Tillman (1986) suggest a spiralling relationship between age and concerns of content.…”

“…Each student was involved in seven 1-hour sessions consisting of two 1-hour age-speci c group information sessions, one 1-hour individual review session, three 1-hour individual composing/interview sessions and one 1-hour age-speci c group presentation session. Data derived from questions that focused on the approach to the composing activity (see Younker, 2000a for original analysis) were re-analysed for the purpose of this paper.…”