Teaching Methodologies: “Teaching to the Piece”
Description:
In composition lessons or classes, all concepts, details, and techniques are taught in relation to the piece
that the student is writing. If it seems that a broader discussion of a specific topic is warranted, this can
be done, but the great majority of information provided is specific to the needs of the piece of music at
hand.
Rationale:
 Most broad concepts are taught in specific classes outside of the composition class/lesson
sequence
 Setting up an instructional rubric in composition classes that covers broad concepts and
techniques invariably bores some students and overly challenges others
 Broad concept conversations in a private lesson format is highly repetitive for the teacher
 If a program delays composition lessons and classes until many of the broad classes have been
taken, the implied rationale is that teaching composition to students who do not have the
background in these areas is not effective; to the contrary, there is a significant knowledge base
that is not covered in these related classes
 The specific aspects of these broader areas that are covered when teaching to the piece are
often so unique that they are not covered in the broader classes, but these unique bits of
knowledge can form the basis of a more general approach to the topic
 The composer’s quest for just the right sound, the right transition, or the best combination of
musical parameters to create the most effective cadence (for example) is a radically different
process from that by which we learn a compendium of basic concepts; in broader techniques
classes the pursuit of knowledge is its own imperative, a pedagogical imperative, whereas,
when we teach to the piece, the optimal musical result is an artistic imperative, and it is this
force that drives the pursuit of the knowledge
 Composers are deeply connected to their work on levels that range from the emotional to the
spiritual; as teachers, we are at our best when we help to build a student’s awareness of this
connection, and when we tie the absorption of technical information directly to the student’s
drive to create and to grow