Anyone Can be Creative!

This week is all about creativity and improvisation. When people think of music, many times they immediately think of creativity. Even the specialist team at my school is nicknamed the "creative arts team". We are brought up as a society to believe that people are either born with the creative "gene" or they aren't. Further more it is the common belief that those who do not possess this "gene" cannot possibly have a talent for the arts. So many times in my classroom I have heard children say that they aren't creative, or they can't play something because they aren't "good" enough or don't have natural talent. Hearing things like this makes me very upset, so I have set personal goals to ensure that I support the students even when they feel that they can’t accomplish something. If they say “I can’t” I say only because you say you can’t, if you say you can then there is no limit to what you can do! I am fully aware that not every child will continue with music into college, or even into high school, but the important lesson to learn in any of the creative arts is to be confident in what you do and you will be successful!

What I liked most about the reading in Music Learning Today is how Bauer places an emphasis on everyone having the ability to be creative through music, even if it might not be musical performance. As Bauer (2014) states, us music teachers grew up as part of the 20% of students who were consistently involved in concert band, jazz band, wind ensemble, marching band, and other performing groups. Even today, I am still entwined specifically in performance groups since I teach instrumental music. I often (foolishly) forget that just because a student is not in band, orchestra, or chorus, that they could have a vast interest in music. Music technology courses can offer a perfect solution for these students. The problem I encounter with this solution is that I lack the skills or the resources to offer music technology as an option for non-performance music education. However, realistically, these classes would most likely not be offered until middle or high school when students can select electives that interest them.

I was so excited when I found out that this week we would be focusing on a program that I already use frequently! Finale or Sibelius are great software programs that I learned to use in undergrad, but they come with a hefty price tag. While I was teaching in Philadelphia, one of our professional developments was about using MuseScore. I have been using it ever since to write simple compositions or to transpose parts for my students. Thankfully, it is a fairly easy program that is very similar to Finale, which is my preferred music notation software. The story about the sophomore using music tech software in the beginning of chapter 3 in Music Learning Today caused me to start thinking that MuseScore would be perfect for students in my school district. Most students in my district have access to computers and the Internet, but unfortunately have a difficult time affording many extra expenses. Since this program is free, I feel like it would be something I could show to students to increase their creative abilities in improvisation and composition.

Improvisation is an important way to spark creativity with the students I teach. As stated in Music Learning Today, in order for a student’s creativity to be tapped, it is important that they learn to improvise and compose music of their own so they can see their full potential. The problem most students encounter is their own nerves when asked to “compose” music on the spot in front of an audience. If a student has never done this before, it can be an incredibly daunting task. The best way to introduce a child to improvisation and help them feel comfortable is to begin when they are very young. The longer a student is exposed to the improvisation process, the more comfortable they will feel as they grow older. Looking back on my personal musical journey, I regret not having more opportunities to improvise and wish I had began learning improvisation at a much younger age. 

This year I started introducing the idea of improvisation to my middle school orchestra. Orchestras tend to get left out when learning improvisation, but it is definitely an important skill for any musician regardless of their instrument. We played a piece called Pepperoni Pizza Rock, which includes a four measure solo section. This piece was great for aiding in improvisation because the key was easy, the chord changes were very simple, and the composer included a chart that indicated which notes the instruments could use. The four students who volunteered to perform solos did a great job and everyone got a chance to learn about improvisation in a fun and non-threatening way.