I will admit that composition has been a difficult standard to master with elementary students. In recent years, I have worked on having my students compose simple patterns in Kindergarten and first grade, simple melodies in second and third grade, and simple two-part pieces in fourth and fifth grade. These were all accomplished with simple paper/pencil methods and symbols and patterns with the younger students. After the reading/lecture this week and last week, I have so many ideas of ways to implement more composing into my curriculum in the coming years. Chapter two in Music Learning Today has really helped me to understand the process of composing with technology and chapter three has given me so many good activities and reasons for using technology with my students.
One of the programs that I am curious to use with my students is Music-COMP. The guidelines that are set forth with this program really seem to be what the students will need to be successful. Barrett's (p.61) ideas of composer-teacher teaching strategies are good guidelines for any K-12 music teacher. Following the critique and revision guidelines to encourage creativity and having the students perform and share their compositions are going to be a little difficult to master in the elementary classroom with our time restraints. Seeing our students only once a week (if that) can make projects a little hard to plan. The activities on p. 69-72 are laid out in easy ways to implement some, if not all. I am encouraged this week to try to implement some of those this next school year.
Bauer, W. I. (2014) Music learning today Digital Pedagogy for Creating Performing and Responding to Music. New York, NY Oxford University Press.
Angela,
ReplyDeleteI sympathize with your situation completely as I also teach elementary music. Like you, I found the information from our reading particular encouraging and challenging. The pursuit of teaching music composition has for me, proved to be one of the most demanding and illusive elements of teaching music. In my opinion, beginning composition tasks are very effective with pencil and paper, so it is a great way to prepare students for more advanced applications using technology.
I found the list of improvisation and composition activities beginning on page 68 particularly useful. There were activities listed, like creating an ostinato, that I had not considered to be composition, but I am happy to learn that they are indeed methods of composition that are accessible to elementary students. My students are often engaged in creating ostinatos as part of everyday music making. My intention is to use some of the technology applications listed to capture what my students are already involved in creating. Fusing technology to activities that our students are already involved in may turn out to be the best way to incorporate it into a once a week lesson.