Hansen, D. (2009). “Writing in the Music Classroom: Educators Can--And Should--Encourage Their
Students to Give Music a Written Response.” Teaching Music, 16(4), 28.
Section: lectern
Educators can-and should-encourage their students to give music a written response. Music teachers all
over the country wince when they hear the words, "All teachers in our school must have students write
in class." Writing in a music classroom may seem counterintuitive, but most researchers consider writing
to be an effective instructional strategy for teaching and reinforcing reading skills, and so administrators
frequently ask music teachers to include it in their classes. Teachers often react by asking something
like, "Shouldn't students come to music to make music — to experience singing, playing, moving,
composing, and improvising? Isn't active involvement in music making how we learn our art form?" In
this article, I'll explore ways to initiate written responses to music and demonstrate how writing can
provide rich opportunities for children to deepen their conceptual understanding of the many aspects of
music.
Three artistic processes — creating, performing, and responding — help prepare students to become
musically literate and to develop viable performance skills (A Guide to K — l2 Program Development in
the Arts, The Connecticut State Department of Education, 2002). When we respond, we react to a
stimulus. In music learning, responding can include selecting, analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating
music. While these are all high-level skills, they occur in children of different ages in developmentally
appropriate ways. For instance, responding to music through movement and active listening are
commonly planned learning experiences at the elementary level. These activities are often managed
through interaction with the teacher: "Raise your hands when you hear ----- ," "Use your bodies to show
me how this music ----- ."
Large student and class loads often preclude written documentation at the elementary general music
level, however. And teachers of secondary ensembles believe they don't even have enough instructional
time to prepare for concerts, let alone asking students to analyze or interpret. Students approach music
literacy by making music, not reacting to it. Then how do we encourage students to respond to music
through writing yet preserve high-quality music learning and performance?
Comprehensive music literacy means that students can not only perform but also comprehend the
breadth and scope of the art form. With the formidable challenges that music educators face in terms of
performance expectations and teaching load, we must prioritize our goals for our students. By allowing
time for students to cognitively and metacognitively react to music through writing, we will encourage
music literacy and lifelong music appreciation. Responding, then, becomes a means to the end. Let's
examine two ways to respond through writing and then explore ways to manage them in the classroom.
Responding to One's Own Musical Performance or Creative Effort
We often ask our students to express their opinions about a recent concert or a creative effort. Asking
them to express these thoughts in writing allows them time to process their thoughts and acquire
meaningful musical vocabulary so that responses related to selection, interpretation, analysis, and
evaluation are specific to music. Consider these three important steps when asking for written
responses:
1. Determine the desired outcome of the writing task. The response may focus on the audience reaction
to the student's musical performance or musical creation, or on the student's own evaluation of the
performance or creation. Thus, the first step in writing is to determine which processes will be targeted
in the writing.
2. Create a prompt. Well-conceived prompts are necessary and effective motivators for good writing.
The prompt must be aligned with the intended outcome of the writing task. (See examples below.)
3. Prepare the vocabulary. The teacher can clarify music vocabulary by asking the entire class or
ensemble to brainstorm appropriate words in advance of the writing.
Here are some examples that can be modified for different age-groups:
Example 1: I noticed that the audience gave us the loudest applause on our third piece. I believe they
liked the piece and the way we performed it because … Prewriting music vocabulary: tempo, melodic
line, harmonic
structure, timbres, dynamic contrasts, sense of ensemble,
musically sensitive, interpretation, in tune, articulation.
Example 2: I worked hard to make my composition sound like things in nature. These are the best things
I did and the things I need to do better: Prewriting music vocabulary: form, structure, timbre, dynamic
contrast, melody, selection of sounds, rhythms.
Example 3: Music makes a difference in my life because … Prewriting vocabulary: emotion, feelings,
moods, genres of
music, lyrics, melodies, memories, pride, effort, friends,
working together.
Self-reflection and metacognitive experiences are important lifelong skills that can be nourished through
music education. Writing helps students solidify their perceptions and understandings.
Responding to Others' Musical Performance or Creative Effort
A multitude of instructional possibilities exists for responding to others' music through writing. Again,
well-defined prompts help avoid randomness and a lack of focus. The steps to effective writing are the
same as previously described: Teachers need to decide what type of writing would best fit the
anticipated learning outcomes, and the prompts and music vocabulary should coincide. Three broad
categories of writing help us determine the outcomes and prompts for the instruction.
1. Narrative writing. Narrative writing begins with prompts that invite students to tell a story or describe
a hypothetical or real event based on the music. At the elementary level, program music such as The
Tlanets (Hoist), Carnival of the Animals (Saint-Saëns), Night on Bald Mountain (Mussorgsky), The
Sorcerer's Apprentice (Dukas), and "Escape from the Atmosphere" (Davis, Mannheim Steamroller)
promotes colorful and enthusiastic writing from children. Older students react well to the first and last
movements of Beethoven's Symphony No. S, "Ride of the Valkyries" (Wagner), La Symphonie
Fantastique — fourth movement (Berlioz), and The Rite of Spring — "The Dance of the Adolescents"
(Stravinsky). Prompt ideas:
2.• You've just landed on a mysterious planet. Using the music to give you ideas, write a story about
your adventures.
3.• Leo the Lion is taking a stroll around the park today. Listen to the music and describe him and how
he moves.
4. Factual writing. This type of writing requires students to analyze and describe music. In analyzing,
students break the music into its constituent parts and note the relationships between them. Analysis
can also describe how compositional and musical devices make the music sound as it does. Writing in
this style asks students to use musical language correctly. Comparing folk songs about similar subjects
from different countries, describing the most important musical elements and how they are used in a
piece of music, describing how a theme is changed through variations, and describing how rhythm and
tempo affect the expression of text or lyrics are all examples of factual writing that requires students to
use musical language. In addition, having students evaluate performances through writing encourages
them to use objective rather than subjective language, truly a lifelong skill. Prompt ideas:
5.• One of the pieces you will hear is from Ireland; the other is from the Appalachian Mountains.
Describe the similarities and differences using music vocabulary.
6.• You are a music critic. Describe the musical elements in this composition and how well they are
performed.
7. Persuasive writing. In this genre of writing, students use appropriate music vocabulary to convince
the reader of the writer's point of view. Arguments for and against the writer's perspective are carefully
crafted to persuade the reader to agree with the writer. In narrative and persuasive writing, students
can be encouraged to use writing devices such as metaphors and similes, thus enhancing their language
skills. Prompt ideas:
8.• Convince your readers that this music is worth a national award.
9.• Both of these songs are about the same topic. Which one do you think best expresses the lyrics?
Give specific examples from the music.
Graphic Organizers as Prompts
Teachers can use graphic organizers to help students better visualize the relationships between musical
elements in different pieces of music, to understand the structure or form in a musical composition, or
to help generate ideas and vocabulary. Because music is an abstract aural art, providing a visual aid to
help reinforce aural discrimination skill development makes sense when considering the complexities of
the learning process. We know that learning is most successful when it is reinforced through different
perspectives and modalities. Venn diagrams (like the one above), concept webs, compare-contrast
charts, and other visual aids can help students "see" the music.
Managing Writing in Music Class
Choose times to write in music class carefully. A writing exercise should be the best way to get at the
most important learning at hand. If storage space is an issue, ask classroom teachers to house a music
journal or portfolio in a folder in the student's homeroom; have students bring their folders to class each
day you'll be writing. Another possibility is to store folders by grade level and teacher in storage bins
accessible to students when they enter your music room. Ask students to bring pencils, or provide
pencils for the classes. Save students' work so it can be shared with parents. Ask parents to comment on
their student's work, and keep their comments in the portfolio.
Allow enough time for writing. Write in small chunks if time is limited. Give children a chance to proof
and word-process their work if possible. For grading, use rubrics that target the objectives of the writing
lesson. Make sure students know what is expected of them before they write.
Writing in the music classroom solicits and reinforces correct musical language and understanding of the
art form itself. Music learning is a multifaceted process. As we foster music literacy, we must remember
that cognitive development (knowing) as well as skill development (doing) leads to musically educated
students.
Writing in the music classroom solicits and reinforces correct musical language and understanding of the
art form itself.
VENN DIAGRAM
Unique to Carnival of the Animals: "The Elephant"
TIMBRE
• Double bass solo & piano accompaniment
TIME
• Triple meter
MELODY
• Leaps and repeated notes
EXPRESSIVE
•Mostly detached sounds & legato B section
•Heavy & plodding
Unique to Carnival of the Animals: "Aquarium"
TIMBRE
• High strings & piano solos
TIME
• Duple meter
MELODY
•Stepwise
•Sections of descending patterns
EXPRESSIVE
•Legato throughout
•Light and glistening
In Common
TEXTURE
Homophonic
TIMBRE
Use of strings and piano
EXPRESSIVE
Legato sections in both compositions
PHOTO (COLOR)
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By Dee Hansen
Dee Hansen is the chair of graduate music education at the Hartt School of the University of Hartford,
Connecticut.
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