Summer Composition Institute for Teachers, LaRocca, Summer 2019

Note: Please register directly with Music-COMP using the link provided below. Music-COMP will then give you the link to Castleton's online registration form.

Course Description

Music-COMP's week-long summer institute gives teachers a chance to explore the creative side of their musicianship. Over the course of the week, participants will compose an original work which will then be rehearsed and performed by TURNmusic, Vermonts own contemporary music ensemble. Participants will be guided through the entire composition process with daily feedback and support as they compose. The morning sessions will be devoted to group activities and seminars where teachers will learn how to integrate composition into their curriculum, explore music technology programs that can be used to help facilitate the composition process, learn how to develop composition lesson plans and practice giving meaningful feedback to student composers. During the afternoons there will be structured time to work on individual compositions as well as feedback sessions with peers and institute faculty. 

The institute delivers 35 hours of new learning. The remaining 10 hours of coursework will occur in an independent and online format. Participants will prepare and compose original music outside of class both prior to the beginning and during the evenings in an independent setting. The teaching unit and reflection paper will both be completed by participants after the institute has concluded. PBworks will be used as our online classroom portion where participants will be able to view each other's work and communicate before the course begins. 

Course Objectives/Goals

• The benefits of composition to a music program
• The Creative Process and where to begin
• Curriculum Integration
• Lesson plans and strategies for all grade levels
• Arranging for your ensemble
• Assessing composition or other creative work
• Noteflight and other notation programs
• Garageband/Soundation and other electronic music programs on the topics and reflections generated by the conference sessions.
• Completion of an original piece of music written during the course of the week to be performed by TURNmusic.

Course Expectations

Assignments:

• Design a teaching unit (at least three connected lessons) that you will use in the coming year in your classroom. Include the following: What are the outcomes for students? (What you want them to know and be able to do?)  What standards will this project address? How will you assess this? Describe the activities that will take place during the unit.

• Small and Large Composition Assignments
• Daily short composition assignments to be completed each morning
• Completion of a newly composed work of 5-10 minutes in length to be performed by our ensemble in residence TURNmusic

• A 2-page post course personal reflection on the composition and creative process

Required Readings:

The cost of required readings is not included in the course tuition.

• Assessment Rubrics for Music Composition: Rubrics make evaluations concrete and objective, while providing students with detailed feedback and the skills to become sensitive music critics. Maud Hickey, Music Educators Journal 1999 85: 26 DOI: 10.2307/3399530
• Selections from: Composing our future : preparing music educators to teach composition

Author:Michele Kaschub; Janice Smith
Publisher:New York : Oxford University Press, ©2013.
Edition/Format: eBook : Document : EnglishView all editions and formats

• Selections from: The Craft of Musical Composition. Paul Hindemith, Schott Music Ltd. 1942

• For additional course or registration information

Matt LaRocca

Register online now!