DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS PROFESSIONS
THE STEIINHARDT SCHOOL OF CULTURE, EDUCATION, AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
MUSIC EDUCATION
COURSE PROPOSAL FORM
Syllabus
E85.2116 Teaching Composition and Improvisation in the Middle and Secondary
School
Course Description
This is a workshop and lecture-demonstration course in teaching musical creativity at the middle and secondary school levels.
Through active involvement in various kinds of composing and improvising, and teaching these musical involvements, students will learn how to create, plan and teach lessons in a variety of musical styles._
Readings will be assigned and lectures will be presented to increase students’ awareness of current research on musical creativity
Rationale
The National Standards for Music Education (1994) stipulate that present and future music teachers must endeavor to teach all forms of music making. Historically, music education programs have emphasized music performing above all else. Therefore, this is an important to need balance music teacher preparation by enabling future music educators to teach composing and improvising systematically, sequentially, and comprehensively (using a variety of musical styles). Indeed, our students have requested such a course.
Course Objectives
To advance students’ abilities to compose and improvise in a variety of musical styles
To advance students’ ability to teach composing and improvising in several ways in order to meet the needs and levels of students in the middle and secondary classroom
To develop students’ understandings of current research in musical creativity
To increase students’ knowledge of curriculum development for teaching musical creativity
Required Texts
Music Educators National Conference (2002). Benchmarks for music assessment:
Composing and Arranging . Reston, VA.

Regelski, Thomas A. (2004). Teaching General Music In Grades 4-8: A Musicianship
Approach . New York: Oxford University Press.
Russo, W. (1988). Composing music . Chicago: University Of Chicago Press.
Topics
1. (a) Starting to teach composing?: 20 th
century aleatoric techniques; soundscape works; graphic notation.
(b) Integrating composing, improvising, performing, conducting and listening in the context of 20 th
composition.
2. (a) Electronic techniques for composing and improvising.
(b) Integrating composing, improvising, performing, and listening in the Electronic music context.
3. (a) Twelve-tone composing.
(b) Integrating composing, improvising, performing, and listening in the context twelve-tone context.
1 Analyzing and reflecting on journal articles and school curricula for creativity in music education.
2
3
Teaching notation and music theory in the relation to Topics 1-3, above.
Composing and improvising in modal contexts (e.g., “Cool Jazz,” Irish traditional music, American folk songs).
4 Composing and improvising in tonal contexts (e.g., Blues, R&B, Rock).
Assignments
1
2
Composition/improvisation projects in selected musical styles
Teaching demonstrations of composition/improvisation lessons in selected musical styles
3
4
Reflection papers on assigned readings in musical creativity
Culminating Portfolio of compositions and lesson plans
Assessment
1
2
3
4
Composition/improvisation projects: 30%
Teaching demonstrations: 30%
Reflection papers: 10%
Culminating Portfolio: 30%
Bibliography
Albert, R. S., & Runco, M. A. (1999). A history of research on creativity. In Robert J.

Sternberg (Ed.), Handbook of creativity (pp. 16 - 34). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge
University Press.
Bamberger, J. (1991). The mind behind the musical ear: How children develop musica l intelligence.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Barrett, M. S. (2000). Perception, description, and reflection: Young children's aesthetic decision-making as critics of their own and adult compositions. Proceedings of the
18th International Research Seminar, International Society for Music Education (pp.
41-51) , held in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA on July 8 th
- 14 th
, 2000.
Belkin, A (2002). Encouraging musical creativity . http://www.musique.umontreal.ca/personnel/Belkin/creativity.html
Campbell, P. S. (1990). Crosscultural perspectives of musical creativity. Music Educators
Journal , 76(9), 43-46.
Delamot, G. (1971). Modern melodic technique . Kendor: Delevan, New York.
Delamont, G.
(1975). Modern twelve-tone technique . Kendor: Delevan, New York.
Delamot, G. (1978). Modern contrapuntal technique . Kendor: Delevan, New York.
Galloway, M. (1982). Let’s make an opera: A happening with 120 young children.
Journal of
Creative Behaviour 6 (1) p. 41 -48.
Levi, R. (1991). Investigating the creativity process: The role of regular musical composition experiences for the elementary child. Journal of creative Behavior, 25 (2), 123-136.
McDonald, D.T., & Simons, G.M. (1989). Musical growth and development.
New York:
Schirmer Books.
Regelski, Thomas A. (2002). Sound Compositions for Expanding Musicianship
Education, Organised Sound : Vol. 7, 1, 29-40.
Swanwick, K., & Tillman, J. (1989). Towards a model of development of children’s musical creativity. Canadian Music Educator , 30 (2), p. 169-74.
Walker, R. (1976). Sound projects.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Webster, P. (1979). Relationship between creative behavior in music and selected variables as measured in high school students. Journal of Research in Music Education, 27 ,
227 - 242.
Webster, P. (1987). Conceptual bases for creative thinking in music. In J. C. Peery & I. W.

Peery (Eds.), Music and child development (pp. 158-174). New York: Springer Verlag.
Webster, P. (1990). Creativity as creative thinking. Music Educators Journal , 76(9), p. 22
28.