A few years ago I conducted a year-long action research project that sought to identify ways in which music education could engender greater student engagement in meaningful musical experience. I learnt a great deal both from and with my students – we became a democratic community of learners, reflecting on the action of our classroom and seeking improvement in the teaching and learning of music. The project acknowledged the many ways in which students engaged with music and investigated pedagogies that drew upon multiple approaches in aim of a common goal of developing musicianship.

The critical reflection that the project demanded has since pervaded my practice and thinking about music education. In the years since the project, my own philosophy of music education has been challenged and reshaped by reflection on action; my teaching practice has adopted clearer direction and has broadened to be more responsive to a greater range of students… I am now beginning to approach music teaching and learning, well… musically.[i] The more I reflect, the more I challenge my viewpoints, and the more my practice evolves – and hopefully it is the students who gain the most benefit from it.

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the teaching of composition. I now think that it is something less taught than guided – to again borrow a phrase of Swanwick – something that we ‘catch’ through musical encounters.[ii] I recall my own compositional experiences as a secondary school student[iii] as very much taught ones – we followed established ‘rules’ and were bound by many parameters to ensure that our music reflected a particular style – and to some degree this was, and still is, necessary. They were scaffolded experiences; they served to put into practice an understanding of the musical style/s we were investigating. Under this framework, my compositional intentions were motivated by adherence to stylistic rules; however, upon reflection, I don’t feel that it was through these means that I gained a grasp of composition at its most fundamental level. This came through extended experience with music on compositional, analytical and performative fronts.

For many years, I taught composition in the same way I was taught at school. I set tight parameters and I taught basic melodic and harmonic practices that the students would apply. The assessment criteria[iv] used sought effective application of these traditions and practices. The students followed the rules and produced some good work, but deep down I knew that true – and musical – understanding of communicating a compositional idea was not well understood – often, it wasn’t even their idea! It was like the musical equivalent of painting by number – follow the guide and there is a good chance that the work will come to some fruition with minimal creative input.

After years of reflection, critical questioning, testing various approaches, analysing work samples, and through discussion with many students – some exceptionally gifted composers with that ‘caught’ intuitive understanding, to those who were bound by rules and couldn’t really hear or ‘imagine’ what they wanted – we sought to delve into what we though central to the act of composing. We sought the ground from which we could plant and grow musical ideas musically. Below are our working ‘considerations’ that currently underpin our compositional processes:

• Listen and question – learning and ‘catching’ how to compose doesn’t always mean working on composition directly. Learn by listening to the work of others; question how they have achieved certain effects and investigate the techniques they have used. Become curious as to how these techniques ‘work’.
• Less is more – ‘less is more’ has become my compositional mantra over the past few years. ‘Less is more’ means to keep things simple. As Einstein[v] said (or is at least paraphrased): “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” I have found that many students throw so many ideas into their work that they confuse the music. Many think that the more notes, themes, or parts a composition has, the better it will be. I often cite Danny Elfman’s three-note theme from Edward Scissorhands to support the point that it doesn’t have to be.
• Write economically – to write economically is to observe ‘less is more’. Well composed music is often economical – it does not contain things that do not need to be there or contribute to the piece as a whole. Why drive big truck when a Mini will do the same job?
• Grow organically – music should grow from one or more seminal ideas. These ideas should grow with the narrative in mind and can be rhythmic, melodic, harmonic, textural… This idea should be developed as so it becomes foundational and identifiable to the work. Don’t rush the idea – let it evolve.
• Weave a narrative – a composition often tells a story. It should have a narrative that you can follow. I often find this is lacking in many compositions as ideas are developed too fast, or not at all… The music should have an element of story to it – make sure it takes the listener on a journey. Like the narrative of a story, musical narrative may be interleaved with other themes, augmented, juxtaposed…
• Don’t forget space – again piggybacking on the notion of ‘less is more’, rests or ‘space’ (durationally and vertically/structurally) in the music can provide tension and suspense just as effectively as sound can. Often the most intense parts of horror films are the moments of silence (of course, this tension is greatly conjured up by the preceding music).
• Don’t treat some of the music elements as an afterthought – expressive devices such as dynamics, accents and articulation can drastically influence a melody and should be considered at the same time as more foundational musical elements. Expressive devices exist for musical reasons; they are not aftermarket parts to ‘dress up’ an idea.
• Don’t ‘bricklay’ – I heard this term in the context of writing and identified with it – I am a ‘bricklayer writer’ – not so much with composition, just writing – one word at a time, set in an almost immovable position (no wonder my thesis is dragging on!) that requires a crowbar to break the mortar if needed. Composition is a non-linear process – get your ideas down, reflect, ‘play’ with them, reflect again… You almost never get it right the first time. Don’t cement ideas in – be flexible, willing to adapt and change ideas, throw things away…

These ‘considerations’ now form the basis of discussion with my students – along with plenty of listening and critiquing of quality musical examples. Yes, we still explore stylistic compositional techniques and devices, but these are developed with the above reflections in mind. The aim is to think down to a unifying level of compositional intention – irrespective of style, we’re often all trying to say the same thing.

Please feel free to comment about these ‘considerations’ – they are a work in progress and I welcome discussion about them. Feel free to challenge, suggest more, critique etc… that’s how we learn. My sincerest of appreciation to everyone who has influenced these thoughts.

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[i] To borrow the title of Keith Swanwick’s book, Teaching Music Musically.

[ii] Again from Teaching Music Musically (Swanwick, 1999).

[iii] Secondary school in Australia is commonly Year 7/8 (12-13 years of age) to Year 12 (17/18) years of age.

[iv] Both at the government and school level.

[v] Various sources suggest that this quotation is a simplified version of: “It can scarcely be denied that the supreme goal of all theory is to make the irreducible basic elements as simple and as few as possible without having to surrender the adequate representation of a single datum of experience.” This sentence may be the origin of the much-quoted sentence that “everything should be as simple as possible, but not simpler,” and its variants. Interestingly, in 1950, The New York Times published an article by the composer Roger Sessions entitled “How a ‘Difficult’ Composer Gets That Way”, and it included a version of the saying attributed to Einstein: “I also remember a remark of Albert Einstein, which certainly applies to music. He said, in effect, that everything should be as simple as it can be but not simpler!”