Week 3

Our main project this week was to create a composition using Soundtrap, an online Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).  I used this project to take an opportunity push myself to try something different in terms of the sounds I used throughout the project.  It was interesting to explore a new program that I am certain I will be able to use one day, when I am working with older students.  In my current situation with elementary students, I do not think a project using Soundtrap would be feasible, but with older students, it would easily attainable.  Soundtrap was easy to use and understand, and with older students, it would be a great project to have them create either using the loops provided or adding in their own music.  The ease of Soundtrap allows for a teacher to suit a project to individual student no matter their skill level.  They can give as many or as few guidelines and constraints as needed.  For example, if there is a student who does not have much musical experience (whether traditional or non-traditional), the teacher could allow only the use of loops, assign a time signature, form, and set a constraint such as only being able to choose a certain number of loops from low voices, melodies, harmonies, etc.  For a student who has a background in music or theory and has explored programs similar to Soundtrap creating their own music, the teacher could give fewer constraints and allow more student creativity.

This project though, along with everything else we have worked on in class so far, has opened up my eyes to a whole different set of tools to use in my teaching.  I have always encouraged my students to create and explore, but never with a plethora of technological use.  I find that among my other elementary colleagues, the majority of them do not focus on any composition in their classrooms.  This concept astonishes me time after time.  Teaching, to me, is about using whatever works to reach the students and allows them to better themselves as musicians.  This includes composition.  As much as we hate to admit it, technology plays a huge role in our student’s lives.  From Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter to the newest IPhone or Tablet, students are constantly connected.  Even my younger students have up-to-date smart phones they carry around in their backpacks all day.  So, why not take this to our advantage as teachers, and incorporate it into something musical?  If we can teach them to use something like Incredibox, Soundtrap, Musescore, or Noteflight, there is a much better chance that instead of scrolling through the most recent pictures on Instagram when they are bored, they might open up one of these programs and explore.  If it is something they are already so consumed with, why wouldn’t we try to tap into this?

Over the past couple weeks when talking about improvisation and composition, it has made me realize that it is possible to see them both as one in the same, or improvisation as the road leading to composition.  There are so many similarities and overlaps that many techniques for teaching the students could be used in both situations.  In both cases, the musician is creating.  In composing, the idea is written down where as many times in improvisation it is simply played.  In addition, many of the same principles used in Kratus’ model of the development of improvisational abilities can also be applied to teaching composition.  The student needs to be able to explore sounds, develop the ability to audiate, progress to very structured creation and then slowly have constraints removed.  Teachers are to encourage the student to listen, practice transcription, and give feedback on their improvisational technique.  The same could be said for composition.  Whether traditional or non-traditional, students must be able to explore different sounds first and then create with constraints given by the teacher to develop their abilities.  Bauer states that some of the guiding beliefs to inform their work [a student learning to compose] are:

“1. Using notation software develops music literacy

  2. Begin composition with structured guidelines

  3. Reflect and critique frequently

  4. Encourage revision

  5. Promote composition for the teachers

  6. Provide opportunities for live performance of student work

  7. Composition is one element of a well-rounded curriculum.” (Bauer, pp. 60)

When comparing these guidelines to the Kratus model, it is impossible to deny the similarities between improvisation and composition.   As teachers, it is our job to open up student exploration into both of these worlds, no matter the level or age.