Reflecting on Practice Related to Teaching University Music Students to Improvise and Compose: A Self-Study

• In Event: 68.062 - Poster Session 15
  In Poster Session: 68.062-2 - Pedagogy and Performance

Abstract

The purpose of this two-year long self-study was to examine and improve our improvisation and composition teaching practices. With the encouragement and support of our co-researchers, each of us experienced greater success in regularly integrating improvisation and composition into our teaching, although choral settings proved to be the most difficult ensemble to introduce these exercises successfully. The prioritization of improvisation and composition exercises shifted from novel experiences to starting-points for discovery and yielded notable changes in our students’ increased confidence in performing tasks, as well as willingness to incorporate them into their own teaching. These exercises highlighted deeper comprehension of topics covered, as well as a more sophisticated transference of knowledge between playing, reading, writing, and understanding diverse music topics.

Authors

• Kristen Pellegrino, The University of Texas - San Antonio

• Susan Dill, The University of Texas - San Antonio

• Jennifer Beavers, The University of Texas - San Antonio