Technology
George Litterst, Editor
I first became excited about composition in high school. My early attempts were very simple and naïve, but the results were good enough to stimulate my interest further.
College brought significant challenges and some disillusionment. My knowledge of music theory - at least on paper - had advanced rapidly, and my teachers had challenged me to explore new harmonic languages. Along the way, however, I experienced a major disconnect: I could not notate what I heard in my head and when I put notes on paper, I didn't know what they sounded like.
True, I could stumble around on the piano and "sort of" figure out how to write down the music that I wanted to write. But I really did not know how my compositions actually sounded until the end of each term when a small group of professional musicians came into our class and played our pieces for us.
In contrast to this experience, current technologies offer students and professionals a clear connection between the notation of a composition and the resulting sound of the piece. For example, when you work with a music notation program, you can use your computer's mouse to put a few notes onto the staff and then immediately click a button and hear what these notes sound like. Similarly, you can play some notes on a MIDI keyboard while listening to a metronome click and then discover how these notes appear in music notation.
The basic point
is simply this: Modern compositional tools offer us an interactive
environment in which we can approach composition in a holistic
fashion, establishing clear links between the way in which a composition
appears on paper, the way it sounds, and the way in which it is
performed.
from Nancy Davis' article
A non-composer teaches composition
Teaching in Africa
I am not a composer. However, I have found myself composing as the need arises. When I was in Africa a few years ago, I was asked to teach piano to some Chadian and American children. I began composing simple teaching pieces for them since there were no music books available.
My students imitated me by composing their own pieces. We used an alphabet decoder gimmick to create melodies from names. We experimented with daily phrases used around the house and put notes to them. We imitated the sounds of nature or animals with music. These ideas were simply games to play that helped to prime the pump and get the students started with composition. Often the ideas would fit together to make quite an interesting combination.
When I returned to the States, I was excited about teaching
in this new way and began researching software that would simplify
the process. Since that time I have found that I use the recording
and notation technology - such as MusicTime Deluxe (www.gvox.com),
Encore (www.gvox.com), and Cakewalk Pro (www.cakewalk.com) - to assist my teaching
in more ways than I ever had imagined. . .
Nancy Davis owns and operates Keys to Creativity, Inc. and has
been teaching and performing piano in the United States and internationally
for over 25 years. She has presented workshops and written articles
on composition and music technology for Piano and Keyboard, Keyboard
Companion, and Electronic Musician's Digital Piano Buyer's Guide.
She has self-published an instruction booklet, Composing with
Your Imagination and a rhythm story book, Cayla and Buddy's Magnificent
Adventures in Rhythm River Park. Both are available by writing
to Nancy at: CREATVKEYS@aol.com
from Jason Sifford's article
Just like the pros!
To me, the greatest thing about current technology is that we now have the ability to produce professional quality scores and audio files right on our desktop. I've found that my students really enjoy creating a polished product, something they can really take pride in. One of the greatest feelings students can have is holding a composition in their hands and telling others, "Look what I made." Thanks to current music technology, students of music can now know that feeling like never before.
Below are some ideas I've used in teaching summer camp sessions, and they've always been a hit with students!
Using notation software
There's nothing more exciting than seeing your work in print. The promise of a professional-looking score can be a great motivator for students, but more than that, the process of creating a score can have an important pedagogical function. Something I tell students is that a professional-looking score has much more than just notes on the page. It includes a good title, indications of tempo and character, and expression marks.
The process of producing a professional-looking score can really help focus a student's attention on different elements of composition. I usually have students start by sitting at a keyboard and putting pencil to paper, but once the first draft is done, I have them go to the computer and work on the score, addressing these important issues: . . .
Jason Sifford is an assistant professor of
music at Texas Tech University where he coordinates group keyboard
instruction and teaches courses in pedagogy, performance, and
music technology. Jason holds degrees from Southwest Missouri
State University, Louisiana State University, and the University
of Michigan. He is a frequent adjudicator and clinician and performs
regularly as both a classical and jazz pianist.
from Linda Dale Kennedy's article
Composition inspired by improvisation
Each school year I encourage all of my students to compose at least one piece, following the process completely from first inspiration to final printout, using either Encore (www.gvox.com) or Sibelius (www.sibelius.com). I've always believed it is important for students to learn to communicate their thoughts or feelings in the language of music. Experience in composition leads them to respect the printed page and the message behind those notes and markings in their repertoire.
About twelve years ago, I added a thirty-minute technology session to weekly private lessons. This put a new spring into our creative step!
Discovery - the first step
The "discovery" stage - finding an interesting and catchy original idea with which to work - is probably the most challenging time for students. How do we know if it's a "good" idea? In the student's mind, it must be interesting enough for someone to want to hear it again, and the student must be able to play it for me in essentially the same way at least twice.
I have found improvisation to be the key to getting started
for students who are not motivated or fluent enough in the language
to just play around and find a motive or opening phrase. Initially,
in order to encourage spontaneity, I provide students with the
privacy of the Clavinova CVP-105 and a headset. This gives them
confidence to explore the piano and its sound possibilities more
freely. . .
Linda Dale Kennedy, NCTM, received a B.M. in Piano Performance and an M.M. in Theory from Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, LA. She has maintained a full-time independent piano studio in Maumelle, AR (a suburb of Little Rock) for the past 17 years and is a church organist/accompanist. She was named Independent Teacher of the Year 2001 by the AR State Music Teachers Association. Visit Linda's studio web site at www.KennedyPianoStudio.com to learn more about her and her studio
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