November Composition Project 2017

For November, students are working on compositions!  We’re composing using a variety of methods.  Some students are writing their songs out by hand and others are beginning by putting songs they’ve already finished into Musscore, a notation program.  Students who are writing them out by hand will get help from me to input them into the computer, so at the end of this process, all will have a typewritten copy of the music they have made.

A handwritten composition

We’re writing compositions using a variety of methods.  Some students are using dice and the composition wheel on my “Decide Now” app to help them write.  (Composers of modern music call this ‘aleatoric’ music – there’s a cool word you can use in conversation!)  We’ve also composed by selecting a rhythm and inventing a melody to suit it.  A few students are composing songs by ear at home, so they are at the stage of typing them up.  We do this in lesson – it’s a great way for students to see how notation works and to learn more about notes and rhythms.

It’s been fun to hear all the interesting compositions students come up with – we’ll continue to work on these throughout the month of November and into December.

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