General Music Composition for Middle School

Published on : 05/05/2023

Many teachers have noticed that their choral students aren't getting the creative process of composing music Teachers typically focus on helping students learn to read and perform the music of others, rather than encouraging students to write their own

Understanding that kids need to make music in order to learn it and retain it for the rest of their lives is crucial Students who develop their musical creativity will have a greater chance of relating to and comprehending the works of others.

Writing Assignments for Junior High The goal of General Music is to encourage musical creativity in the classroom by providing engaging and approachable resources and activities The book is structured around the pedagogical tenets of thoughtful purpose, musical expression, and skilled execution

There are both class-wide activities that can be led by the instructor as well as independent writing assignments for each student. Using Sketchpages as prompts for critical and creative thinking, students can transition from taking part in teacher-led lessons to composing on their own

Most music teachers know it's a good idea to get their students to practise improvising, but they might be hesitant to do so in a classroom where the emphasis is on public performance Composing music during rehearsals might be perceived as a detriment, especially in a choral environment.

As described by Samantha Foss, having students create their own instrument sounds and then choosing classroom instruments to represent them is another productive way to incorporate composing While older students can use this technique to compose more conventional instrumental music, younger pupils can use it to tell a tale or paint a picture in sequence

However, there is a method to include the creative side of music into the daily classroom without dramatically affecting the time available for rehearsals: by incorporating frequent classroom compositional tasks. An easy and practical technique to give students time to compose while also allowing them time to prepare for the upcoming performance is to have them write lyrics for a provided melody