For my Cultivating Creativity assignment, I will be introducing a composition assignment to my Grade 9 Instrumental Music class. Students will be writing their own pieces of music which they will perform on their instrument. The assignment will be scaffolded to prevent students from becoming overwhelmed by the task. Majority of my class started playing their instrument at the start of the semester (February) and have since learned how to read notes on the grand staff. The first step is to have students use a graphic organizer to write out different rhythmic values they know (such as a quarter note, whole note, half rest, etc). Then, they will use a combination of these rhythmic values to make 12 bars of music. After, they will use their instruments to assign a melody to each of the rhythmic bars they wrote. Once they are happy with the tune and rhythm, they will take their planning sheet and notate their composition onto manuscript paper. The final step is to give their composition a title, practice it, and perform it for a summative assessment.
A composition assignment “provides students with opportunities to take control of their own learning” (Beghetto et al., 2015). Sometimes students may be hesitant to write their own music because they do not know where to begin. They are used to music being provided and playing what is asked of them. However, I think we are at a point in the semester where students can successfully take on this assignment and receive teacher support, while still taking responsibility for their learning. Part of this is creating a safe space for students to take creative risks. Earlier this semester, I had a teacher candidate facilitating the lessons. It very quickly became evident that the candidate was underperforming and a threat to student wellbeing and safety. After having the candidate removed, I was transparent with my class and told them that there is a level of professionalism and preparedness that a teacher must have, which the candidate did not elicit. My decision to have the teacher candidate removed from my classroom was in the best interest of my students. Since then, I have noticed a big shift in the willingness to learn, showcase honesty, and persevere amongst my class. A learning environment that supports creativity, growth, and risk-taking is necessary. It truly has made for a memorable semester and I am looking forward to my students taking on this composition learning experience.
References
Beghetto, R. A., Kauffman, J. C., & Baer, J. (2015). Teaching for creativity in the common core classroom. Teachers College Press. (Ch. 3: Learning environments that support creativity, pp. 38-54)
Kingston, November 2020
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