This course is part of the larger community/course for teachers offered by Young Composers & Improvisors Workshop called Music Composition as Experience. Be sure to visit MCE to join the community and view the other collections -Getting Started, Music Works 2, Style, Extensions and Re-imagine.
It is a wonderful time to be a music educator!
Technology can transform any music classroom into a place where every student, regardless of background or experience, can create original music. In so doing they gain skills and learn concepts that aid in their understanding of how music works. A learner who is given this opportunity becomes independent and can begin to use music as a unique form of expression.
In the typical visual art class every student begins some kind of creative project (a drawing, painting, sculpture etc.) from the very first class. There is no need for the young learner to develop a facility or technique before beginning an art project. They devlop important skills through doing the project! So too is this true for the young music learner.
Music teachers have always used strategies that foster creativity and make room for student voice. Through improvisation with pitched percussion, the voice or band instruments students can explore how music works through performing. There is now a deeper and equally creative way for students to express themselves through music composition. With technology like Noteflight students can explore every aspect of the musical language, as well as performance practice techniques, by composing their own pieces for others to perform. Best of all students can also develop their own performance skills by writing a part for themselves to play. Throughout this course we will examine methods that help students compose notated music compositions. Strategies for mastering key concepts will include ways for students to perform them as well as explore them in Noteflight. Completed pieces will be scored for six instruments.
Music Composition as Experience is part teaching method, part learning community. Young Composers & Improvisors Workshop is continually developing innovative and progressive course curriculum for students in a classroom setting to use. Music Composition as Experience is a compendium course and community space that will orientate teachers with the Music Works 1 student course. Not a teacher? No problem! Take this course and learn some new ways for composing music.
We are a group of teachers, composers and musicians dedicated towards bringing music composition to the typical music classroom. The Young Composers & Improvisors Workshop is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in New York City. You can read all about us here.
Jump right in and get started here. You can go at your own pace!
