Minds on Music: Composition for Creative and Critical Thinking (MENC/Rowman & Littlefield)
This is a new book that looks to expand composition instruction for all students, pre K-12. This book includes an argument for teaching composition and includes activities for all levels of composers.
The Q&A I read addressed some ideas in the book, including an argument for constructivist learning in the classroom (child led composition as opposed to teacher led composition assignments). This fosters a sense of ownership of the composition by the student. The teacher should be the support structure instead of the "question answerer".
It looks like this book would be helpful to a teacher who is daunted by the prospect of teaching composition. It seems to address some of that anxiety and also addresses some of the decision making processes that are so important to educating independent minds.
I would very much like to look into this further- thanks for bringing it to our collective attention. I think that there is a very strong case to be made for the musical and educational benefits in learning even basic compositional skills, but I have no idea how to start. I like the idea of constructivist learning- I think it would motivate the students to take ownership of their compositions and their education.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip about this book, Becky. I do not understand everything about the constructivist approach but I do I agree with the main principles. The approach encourages teachers to start with what students already know or are acquainted with and then constructing a curriculum from there. In this way, many constructivist educators are able to utilize popular music in the classroom. I think that popular music does have its place in education because it is the style that students are listening to constantly outside of class. It promotes our discipline and our art far beyond the structured class period we are assigned. Using technology to begin composing melodies might help students relate their extracurricular interests to our curriculum.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like it could be a valuable resource. It is on my list of items to check into further.
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