Student Composition in a Private Studio Setting: Rethinking Assumptions

Abstract

This author reflected on the instructional methods used in her private piano studio as they related to her understanding of constructivist learning theory. Accepting the idea that student-constructed knowledge is more meaningful and memorable than teacher-dictated knowledge, she determined that certain benefits result from encouraging her students to write original compositions. The data informing this study included interviews with past students, journal entries about interactions with current students, and samples of student compositions. The process of composing original music often encourages substantive and instructive dialogue about music between teacher and student. As a result of the research, the author learned that the act of composition might also assist her students to develop creative minds, understand music theory, and discern important musical characteristics of various stylistic, cultural, and historical settings.