Desert Skies Symposium 2017
Desert Skies Abstract
Despite the presence of composition in the United States National Core Arts Standards, it is often one of the elements of school music teaching that is passed over, particularly in performance-based classrooms (Regelski, 2002; Odam, 2000). This may be due to teachers’ discomfort with this area of music teaching, especially in large ensemble programs. It may also be a concern of teachers who have students without a strong music theory background. This paper presents my experience of implementing a composition-based choral curriculum in a diversely populated suburban Midwest middle school made up of approximately 36% Caucasian, 33% Hispanic and 31% African-American students (ISBE, 2014-2015).
During the 2014-2015 school year, I was given the opportunity to overhaul the choral curriculum in this school. In an effort to facilitate an environment where feelings of self-identity were promoted through interconnectedness with others, I chose to ground the curriculum in Jorgenson’s (1995, 2003) approach to music education as community building. In choosing to create both physical and psychological space in the classroom where students would feel comfortable in their own musical traditions, I was hoping opportunities for students to make deep, lasting connections would be created (Greene, 1988). Once students became comfortable in their own practices and habits, my goal was to invite them to consider these traditions through a new lens or to make connections to traditions that may be new for them, a concept most effectively done through the act of musicking (Small, 1998). The goal of this research project was to investigate whether or not a choral curriculum grounded in composition could achieve the creation of this environment.
In this study, students participated in compositional activities based on Hickey’s (2012) approach to composition: Explore, Inspire, Form, Musical Elements, and Big Ideas. In addition, the framework and philosophical underpinnings in Upitis’ (1992) and Sindberg’s (2012) composition and comprehensive musicianship programs were employed, as well as the interdisciplinary approach presented by Barrett, McCoy and Veblen (1997).
The Project
I developed and then implemented this choral composition curriculum in three classrooms of sixth, seventh and eighth grade choruses. Originally implemented during the 2014-2015 school year, changes made during the 2015-2016 school year, as a result of the findings from the previous year, will be explored in the presentation as well. Some of the compositional activities were based on students’ performance pieces for annual concerts, some were part of an interdisciplinary curriculum that involved Language Arts and Social Studies courses, and others were stand-alone activities. During the presentation, I will report on my personal reflections throughout the realization of the curriculum. Throughout the process, researcher reflection journals and field notes were used in data collection. Additionally, administrators and colleagues visited the class, offering their own observations that were used in data collection.
Findings
The overall student response to the composition based curriculum was positive, with students developing new levels of interconnectedness and understanding of self-identity throughout the process. Three main emergent themes arose from the researcher journals and reflections: student agency, music as collaborative effort and self as composer. The theme of student agency developed throughout the curriculum as students began to become more comfortable with being able to create music that was outside the purview of “acceptable” and “unacceptable.” In their initial compositions, students were uncomfortable with the lack of parameters and were often looking for examples from which to copy. As time progressed, I noted that they began to relish the freedom to create and observed them creating music outside of their previous definition of “real music.” This was then transferred to performance rehearsals where students were observed as taking ownership of the pieces in new ways. This was encouraged through opportunities for student leadership and removal of the conductor as leader. Music as collaborative effort was seen most clearly as students transferred collaborative efforts of working with groups to their more formal rehearsals of concert repertoire. In both of these themes, student self-identity was developed and then transferred to an interconnectedness with other members of the ensemble. Finally, the development of self as composer was seen as perhaps the most vivid reaction as students began to understand their own capabilities and develop new layers to their self-identity. Through conversations with students, I noted their concern about composing, especially those with little background in music theory, expressing that this was beyond their skill level. However, as the activities progressed, students developed appeared to develop a new definition for “composer,” legitimizing their own abilities. This transferred to a new appreciation for the composers behind the music being sung by students and new opportunities for student arranging of musical works.
Despite the presence of composition in the United States National Core Arts Standards, it is often one of the elements of school music teaching that is passed over, particularly in performance-based classrooms (Regelski, 2002; Odam, 2000). This may be due to teachers’ discomfort with this area of music teaching, especially in large ensemble programs. It may also be a concern of teachers who have students without a strong music theory background. This paper presents my experience of implementing a composition-based choral curriculum in a diversely populated suburban Midwest middle school made up of approximately 36% Caucasian, 33% Hispanic and 31% African-American students (ISBE, 2014-2015).
During the 2014-2015 school year, I was given the opportunity to overhaul the choral curriculum in this school. In an effort to facilitate an environment where feelings of self-identity were promoted through interconnectedness with others, I chose to ground the curriculum in Jorgenson’s (1995, 2003) approach to music education as community building. In choosing to create both physical and psychological space in the classroom where students would feel comfortable in their own musical traditions, I was hoping opportunities for students to make deep, lasting connections would be created (Greene, 1988). Once students became comfortable in their own practices and habits, my goal was to invite them to consider these traditions through a new lens or to make connections to traditions that may be new for them, a concept most effectively done through the act of musicking (Small, 1998). The goal of this research project was to investigate whether or not a choral curriculum grounded in composition could achieve the creation of this environment.
In this study, students participated in compositional activities based on Hickey’s (2012) approach to composition: Explore, Inspire, Form, Musical Elements, and Big Ideas. In addition, the framework and philosophical underpinnings in Upitis’ (1992) and Sindberg’s (2012) composition and comprehensive musicianship programs were employed, as well as the interdisciplinary approach presented by Barrett, McCoy and Veblen (1997).
The Project
I developed and then implemented this choral composition curriculum in three classrooms of sixth, seventh and eighth grade choruses. Originally implemented during the 2014-2015 school year, changes made during the 2015-2016 school year, as a result of the findings from the previous year, will be explored in the presentation as well. Some of the compositional activities were based on students’ performance pieces for annual concerts, some were part of an interdisciplinary curriculum that involved Language Arts and Social Studies courses, and others were stand-alone activities. During the presentation, I will report on my personal reflections throughout the realization of the curriculum. Throughout the process, researcher reflection journals and field notes were used in data collection. Additionally, administrators and colleagues visited the class, offering their own observations that were used in data collection.
Findings
The overall student response to the composition based curriculum was positive, with students developing new levels of interconnectedness and understanding of self-identity throughout the process. Three main emergent themes arose from the researcher journals and reflections: student agency, music as collaborative effort and self as composer. The theme of student agency developed throughout the curriculum as students began to become more comfortable with being able to create music that was outside the purview of “acceptable” and “unacceptable.” In their initial compositions, students were uncomfortable with the lack of parameters and were often looking for examples from which to copy. As time progressed, I noted that they began to relish the freedom to create and observed them creating music outside of their previous definition of “real music.” This was then transferred to performance rehearsals where students were observed as taking ownership of the pieces in new ways. This was encouraged through opportunities for student leadership and removal of the conductor as leader. Music as collaborative effort was seen most clearly as students transferred collaborative efforts of working with groups to their more formal rehearsals of concert repertoire. In both of these themes, student self-identity was developed and then transferred to an interconnectedness with other members of the ensemble. Finally, the development of self as composer was seen as perhaps the most vivid reaction as students began to understand their own capabilities and develop new layers to their self-identity. Through conversations with students, I noted their concern about composing, especially those with little background in music theory, expressing that this was beyond their skill level. However, as the activities progressed, students developed appeared to develop a new definition for “composer,” legitimizing their own abilities. This transferred to a new appreciation for the composers behind the music being sung by students and new opportunities for student arranging of musical works.