Janice P. Smith – författare

Experiencing Music Composition in Middle School General Music is designed to help teachers and students create original music through materials and activities that are enticing and accessible. The text offers an innovative approach to composition teaching and learning to promote the development of the compositional capacities of feelingful intention, musical expressivity, and artistic craftsmanship. With instructional materials aligned to real world tasks from the genres of songwriting/choral music, composition and visual media, instrumental music, electronic music and digital media, and music theater, program activities easily fit into existing curricular frames. Students will transition from participation in teacher-facilitated whole class lessons to more independent compositional work using Sketchpages to guide their critical and creative thinking. These unique graphic organizers blend elements of the composer’s notebook with doodle space to help students plan compositions, track their thinking through the compositional process, and document their analysis of completed works.

Experiencing Music Composition in Middle School General Music is designed to help teachers and students create original music through materials and activities that are enticing and accessible. The text offers an innovative approach to composition teaching and learning to promote the development of the compositional capacities of feelingful intention, musical expressivity, and artistic craftsmanship. With instructional materials aligned to real world tasks from the genres of songwriting/choral music, composition and visual media, instrumental music, electronic music and digital media, and music theater, program activities easily fit into existing curricular frames. Students will transition from participation in teacher-facilitated whole class lessons to more independent compositional work using Sketchpages to guide their critical and creative thinking. These unique graphic organizers blend elements of the composer’s notebook with doodle space to help students plan compositions, track their thinking through the compositional process, and document their analysis of completed works.

Experiencing Music Composition in Grades K–2 is designed to help teachers and students create original music through materials and activities that are enticing and accessible. The text offers an innovative approach to composition teaching and learning to promote the development of the compositional capacities of feelingful intention, musical expressivity, and artistic craftsmanship. With instructional materials aligned to real world tasks from the genres of songwriting/choral music, composition and visual media, instrumental music, electronic music and digital media, and music theater, program activities easily fit into existing curricular frames. Students will transition from participation in teacher-facilitated whole class lessons to more independent compositional work using Sketchpages to guide their critical and creative thinking. These unique graphic organizers blend elements of the composer’s notebook with doodle space to help students plan compositions, track their thinking through the compositional process, and document their analysis of completed works. They can also be projected in full color from the website for the book.

Experiencing Music Composition in Grades K–2 is designed to help teachers and students create original music through materials and activities that are enticing and accessible. The text offers an innovative approach to composition teaching and learning to promote the development of the compositional capacities of feelingful intention, musical expressivity, and artistic craftsmanship. With instructional materials aligned to real world tasks from the genres of songwriting/choral music, composition and visual media, instrumental music, electronic music and digital media, and music theater, program activities easily fit into existing curricular frames. Students will transition from participation in teacher-facilitated whole class lessons to more independent compositional work using Sketchpages to guide their critical and creative thinking. These unique graphic organizers blend elements of the composer’s notebook with doodle space to help students plan compositions, track their thinking through the compositional process, and document their analysis of completed works. They can also be projected in full color from the website for the book.

This textbook enhances preservice and practicing music educators' understanding of ways to successfully engage children in music composition. It offers both a rationale for the presence of composition in the music education program and a thorough review of what we know of children's compositional practices to date. Minds On Music offers a solid foundation for planning and implementing composition lessons with students in grades PreK-12.