The Status of Instruction in Composition in Elementary General Music Classrooms of MENC Members in the State of Maryland
The Status of Instruction in Composition in Elementary General Music Classrooms of MENC Members in the State of Maryland
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Date
2008-05-05
Authors
Phelps, Kerry Bowman
Advisor
Silvey, Philip
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the status of composition activities in elementary level general music classrooms in the state of Maryland. Participants (N=60) completed an online questionnaire with questions in the areas of teacher demographics, beliefs about composition, and frequency of composition activities in the classroom. Responses indicated that composition was present, at a low frequency, at all student grade levels. Relationships were found between student grade level and structure of composition activity and student grade level and group structure of composition activity. Implications of the frequency of composition activities as well as relationships found for music education are discussed. Suggestions are made for increasing the frequency of composition activities by building upon the most common practices identified by this study.