PLN - Week 2 - Reflections Upon a Composition Unit in Fourth Grade

B               In response to the reading assignment this week, I have been compelled to reflect upon the quality of creative opportunities within my own classroom.    When integrating improvisation or composition into music instruction, public performance expectations often limit the depth and quality of creative activities for my students.   Bauer (2014), included a list of conditions required to foster creativity in students as described by Hallam (2008).  These conditions include; “(a) creative opportunities, (b) necessary resources, (c) appropriate stimulation, and (d) sufficient time” (Bauer, 2014, p. 50).   It is my belief that my current instructional and performance schedule has a negative impact on student creativity.

  When I first began teaching almost twenty years ago, I saw my students approximately seven times a month.  Now I typically see students four times a month or less.  In light of the limitations caused by a lack of instructional frequency, I wonder to what extent I will be able to shift my focus from product to process based teaching?  How might my required instructional and performance schedule be modified to better utilize time spent creating and sharing  musical thinking effectively?

As I ponder these questions I am reminded that over the years I have become somewhat familiar with the workshop model used by many language arts teachers.  This workshop model is used by language arts teachers to facilitate writing instruction.   In order to improve the quality of creative activities, I decided to apply the workshop approach to our fourth-grade music composition project.   I spoke with the language arts specialist at my school and incorporated vocabulary and structures with which my students were already accustomed.  As described by Peha (1995), “For some, Writer’s Workshop is a philosophy, but I like to look at it simply as a way of managing the class” (p. 3-4). Within each writing workshop, or in this case music composition workshop, there is a mini-lesson in which I briefly describe the composition task for the day.  After the mini-lesson, students move into a time of independent composition, during which I conference with individual students.   The classes function similarly to the description of writer's workshop as described by Peha (1995 p. 3-4). Finally, as time allows, students share their work.   Any and all of these elements are more effective,  in terms of time management when technology is used as a tool.  

It seems to me that processes involved in writer’s workshop can be an excellent method of fostering creativity as described by Wallas (1926).    The following paragraphs will serve both as an explanation of how a workshop model is similar to the creativity model developed by Wallas (1926), and as an opportunity to share technology usage that has been especially helpful in the process.  
Prepare
When using a workshop model as a way to facilitate student composition, the mini-lessons serve to prepare students for the work of the day. During this time, I might share aloud my thinking concerning the choice of a particular rhythmic or melodic event within a class composition.  Typically, I use some form of technology to support the focus of the mini lesson.  Often I will use notation software and a projector so that students can contribute to a sort of collaborative composition process that models whatever objective is the focus of the mini-lesson.  Early on in the composition project, it may be as simple as working together to fill in the correct number of beats for a given measure.  Later on, as I model my own thinking about compositional decisions, I might use the playback on the notation software that I am projecting for the class as a way for students to hear and compare various melodic options.  Often, the product of this collaborative mini lesson will be left up throughout the class, and students refer to the work even while they work independently.   
Incubation
 During incubation, students work independently on a compositional task.  While thinking, students might settle upon a musical idea in a variety of ways, through audiation, exploration, or conferences with me or other students.  Some students seek time alone away from the crowd. Others work best with partners or in small groups depending on their musical skill.  As a composer,   I prefer to compose music when I am alone and would find it difficult to compose in the midst of a room full of people, especially if the other people in the room were also attempting to create a new piece of music.   Technology can help me address some of the issues that make it difficult for an individual student to focus in the midst of everyone else's creativity.  Headphones are a treasured tool that enable some students to escape the music room and think independently.  Students at my school are encouraged to bring their devices from home, which means that within a given class, I may several devices of various types.  While some students have access to notation software others may only have access to a camera.  During the incubation period, students are encouraged to use whatever is the most accessible method of keeping a musical idea in their working memory.  Students are free to use sticky notes, photos, videos, audio recordings, staff paper or notation software.  The graphic below is a transcription of a list of agreements the fourth graders made in order to manage the creation process. 

 In an effort to limit noise and to promote audiation I require all students to begin their project by attemptting to audiate their idea first.  Those who need some support, are free to use quiet phones to sing through their ideas first.    I agree with Bauer completely when he said; "Because it is easy to have the computer play what one has written, teachers should include activities that require students to audiate, not allowing them to rely only on computer-generated sounds" (Bauer, 2014, p. 63).    Several of the lessons leading up to the composition project provide opportunities for students to practice this skill.  
Illumination

 Nothing is more motivating to students than when they are left to wrestle with a composition task and finally experience illumination.  I have observed creative illumination within a compositional task most often when students are free from time constraints and fully immersed in their task.  While students have compositional tools available to them earlier in the process, it is often at this stage, once their thinking has been illumined that students will finally capture their thinking through traditional or technological means.  Sometimes in the midst of inspiration, they believe the process is complete.  
Verification 
Students who experience the thrill of illumination are generally insistent about sharing their work!  Students at this stage benefit greatly from the gift of time, as the time allows them to seek verification. Often, during these conferences with students there is a back and forth that takes place as students share their work with me.  I am able to supply my students with suggestions and feedback.  I am also able to ask questions to help me better understand where they are in their process.  If I notice any trends within the student work being shared, I can recall the students back together for a small reteach.  Sometimes, I will ask permission to share a student piece at this point to assist with the reteach.  The verification stage with me is best when it happens face to face.  However, once a student has completed the compositional task for the day, they literally beg me to share their work with their friends and family and it is usually time for my next class to come in.  It is at this point where technology is priceless.  Using technology as a tool to share the work of students is both motivational and enjoyable.    Currently, I encourage students to share in whatever manner is easiet for them.  Some take a photo of their hand written compositions, while others chose to send a  video of a performance from home.   The best part of being able to share the work digitally is that it is asynchronous, meaning that we don't have to use our very limited class time sharing in a concert.  Instead, students can access the work and offer feedback through a shared digital space at home.  

Using the workshop model in conjunction with increased technology access occured within a series of lessons last April and May.   I plan on further reflection and refinement of the project in order to determine if perhaps a systematic integration of technology might continue to improve my use of instructional time.   I currently don't have a campus subscription to Noteflight, but hope to request one this school year.  I feel that Noteflight may be the best fit for my students because it can be linked to our digital classroom platform and because it is web based it will work on a variety of devices brought into music by my students.  Once the composition project has been refined to my satisfaction I am also considering ways that one of our performance comitments might be used as an avenue for a sort of public showcase of these compositions.  Currently, our fourth graders are a non-performing grade level who instead have an art show each spring.  Perhaps in the future, we will be able to incorporate a process based showcase along with the exisiting art show as a way of further verifying the work of these students.

Bauer, W. I. (2014). A conceptual framework for technology - Assisted music learning. In Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music (pp. 59-68). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Peha, S. (1995). Welcome to Writer's Workshop. Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc.