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A Meta-Aggregative Analysis of Music Composition in Secondary Schools

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A Meta-Aggregative Analysis of Music Composition in Secondary Schools A META-AGGREGATIVE ANALYSIS OF MUSIC COMPOSITION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS Graeme Materne A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF MUSIC December 2020 Committee: Elizabeth Menard, Advisor Elaine Colprit © 2020 Graeme Materne All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Elizabeth Menard, Advisor In 2004, Goran Folkestad analyzed teachers’ approaches to instructing music composition and creativity in a meta-analysis. He found that there were no obvious changes in instruction across all age ranges, that students’ creative experiences were informed by previous musical and cultural experiences, and that “external conditions [for composing were] formulated” (Folkestad, 2004). The aim of the present study is to expand on Folkestad’s framework and explore the contexts and strategies that teachers use to successfully integrate music composition in their secondary classrooms. A total of ten studies were analyzed using a meta-aggregative approach in order to identify strategies, contexts, and technologies that are conducive to teaching music composition in secondary school classrooms. A comparison of Folkestad’s original findings with the current data was also undertaken. The data indicated that the original themes presented by Folkestad were consistent with trends that emerged in the present analysis. In addition to these findings, it was also determined that four new trends may be added to this list: (1) establishing a creative environment for students that allows them to experiment is crucial for composition development; (2) feedback is essential for students to learn how to critique their own works and peers’ works; (3) technology can be used to differentiate composition instruction across a variety of ability levels; and (4) collaboration may help students gain confidence while developing their compositions. iv This thesis is dedicated to my father, Harry P. Materne III. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are many individuals who need acknowledging here, far too innumerable to count. First and foremost, I would like to thank my parents for their continued support throughout this endeavor. My mother instilled in me a love of the arts, and my father taught me how to love learning. My brother was also someone that helped lend an ear when I needed his advice. I would be remiss if I did not thank my many friends and colleagues who helped encourage me throughout this study. From the early days of planning with the curriculum lab group to the late-night vent sessions with my roommates Hayley Plauger and Kacie Pummill, these moments helped push me through to this—hopefully—glorious finale. A tremendous “thank you” goes to my committee, Drs. Elizabeth Menard and Elaine Colprit. Dr. Menard: you have taught me how to be a critical evaluator and a disciplined teacher. I am immensely thankful that you gave me a chance during my undergraduate career to assist with facilitating composition in Music Plus. If not for that, I do not know if I would have had the chance to perform this study under your guidance. Dr. Colprit: where do I start? You continually feed my desire to question the musical world. I so look forward to discussing any manner of topics when we have the time. I will greatly miss those talks when I have moved on from Bowling Green. Last and certainly not least, I would like to acknowledge my better half, Serena Holdosh, who has been my guide through this Herculean trial. Her kindness, knowledge, and patience during bouts of inspiration and anxiety are emblematic of the type of person she encourages me to be. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................... 3 The Creative Thinking Process & Music………………………………. ...................... 4 The Compositional Process………………………………………………………….... 7 Technology & Music Composition ................................................................................ 9 Teaching Music Creativity in Primary Schools ............................................................. 10 Teaching Music Composition in Secondary Schools .................................................... 11 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................... 13 The Framework .............................................................................................................. 14 Purpose ………............................................................................................................... 15 Research Questions ........................................................................................................ 15 CHAPTER THREE: METHOD .............................................................................................. 16 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS ................................................................................................ 18 Teaching Contexts ........................................................................................................ 18 Teacher Perceptions ...................................................................................................... 19 Teachers’ Perceived Challenges of Teaching Music Composition .................. 19 Teachers’ Perceived Benefits of Teaching Music Composition ....................... 21 Student Perceptions ....................................................................................................... 22 Teaching Strategies ....................................................................................................... 25 CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION ........................................................................................... 29 vii Research Question #1: What Secondary Classroom Contexts Lend Themselves to Teaching Composition?................................................................................................ 29 Research Question #2: What Common Themes Emerge with Teachers Who Implement Music Composition Activities?................................................................... 32 Research Question #3: How Has Technology Been Used to Facilitate Music Composition Instruction?.............................................................................................. 34 Comparison with Folkestad .......................................................................................... 36 Future Implications ....................................................................................................... 37 Music Composition Facilitation in Today’s Schools…. ............................................... 38 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 40 APPENDIX A: ANNOTATIONS ........................................................................................... 44 viii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Secondary Teaching Settings ........................................................................................ 19 2 Teachers’ Perceived Challenges ................................................................................... 20 3 Teachers’ Perceived Benefits ........................................................................................ 22 4 Students’ Perceived Challenges of Learning Composition .......................................... 23 5a Students’ Perceived Benefits of Learning Composition ............................................... 24 5b Students’ Perceived Benefits of Learning Composition Continued ............................. 24 6 Teaching Strategies—Classroom Environment ........................................................... 25 7 Teaching Strategies—Notation .................................................................................... 27 8 Teaching Strategies—Instructional Techniques ........................................................... 28 1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION In her textbook Music Outside the Lines, Maud Hickey (2012) outlined approaches to teaching music composition in K-12 environments, arguing that composition and the creative process should be at the core of music instruction: The core of all music teaching should come from the creative essence of music. It begins by organizing the curriculum with the end goals in mind, but must follow a map through the unknown territories that composition and improvisation will bring (p. 156). Composing is a creative activity that is accessible to everyone, but it is often omitted from music instruction as children progress through school. Unfortunately, music composition is often “…viewed as a special skill that only an elite few can do” (Hickey, 2012, p. 13). Music composition is often thought of as an activity that musicians can perform once they have learned prerequisite skills including a background in music theory. It is often reserved for those students who are exceedingly bright or for students who go on to pursue music composition in higher education. Hickey defined music composition as a process of “…organizing music parts into logical, interesting, and feelingful form” (p. 7). A more technical definition of music composition can be found in Encyclopedia Brittanica, which states that composition is the “act of conceiving a piece of music, the art of creating music, or the finished product” (Crossley- Holland & Ringer, 2013). The composition process
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