Whose music is it anyway?

StartFragment

I read a journal article from “Research Studies in Music Education” by S. Alex Ruthman entitled,

“Whose agency matters? Negotiating pedagogical and creative intent during composing experiences”

In this article the author sat in on a series of composition lessons where 10-11 year olds were using music technology to compose a film sound track for a scene from Lord of the Rings. The main aim of this research was to explore the interaction between a teacher and a pupil when feedback is given and what the nature and effectiveness of that feedback was. The pupil in question had strong ideas for the direction of the music, and approached the activity with real enthusiasm and pride in her work. What became clear is that the feedback given by the teacher was aiming to shape the composition to fit with the teacher expectation and not the pupil intention. As the lesson progressed, it was clear that the pupil was becoming increasingly frustrated and her motivation was decreasing.

It highlights the point that while it is important to scaffold pupil learning, it is also important to be clear and establish what the intention is from the pupil perspective. As a teacher it is important to recognise this and target interventions which are both meaningful to the pupil and help them to realise their intention. This is summed up in a quote

“our decisions must be guided by ‘what might help this writer,’ rather than’what might help this writing.'”

It is important that the learning which takes place build on experiences and provides young composers with the tools which can be taken and used in their next compositions. For example, working with a student and used questioning and feedback to establish their intention, in turn providing targeted support and guidance.

It is important that learners are aware of the process and that teachers are aware that when:

‘pedagogical approaches to feedback consciously or unconsciously exclude or inhibit creative intent, the student can become disempowered as an agent of their own learning, losing confidence and self-efficacy.’

It is very easy in a fast moving curriculum where the next deadline is just around the corner to level interventions to meet specific outcomes set by the teacher. The most important creative work will place with the learner at the centre helping them realise their own intentions.

EndFragment