How is music composition taught?

Music composition can be taught through a variety of modalities, including listening, reading, singing, playing instruments, improvising, and creating. Some say that the fastest way to learn composition is to memorize small pieces of music and then learn to change and combine them. Others suggest building a strong foundation and then building on it. Here are some tips for teaching music composition:

Teach rhythms

Use a variety of percussion instruments to help students experience success with the rhythms they'll be using in their compositions.

Use formative assessments

Check in on students' progress during composition lessons using different strategies.

Provide feedback

Have students perform what they've created at the end of each lesson.

Introduce musical form

Start with binary form songs and explain how students can identify section changes.

Encourage writing down what's heard and played

Even if it's just shapes at first, encourage children to write down what they hear and play as soon as possible.

Use a step-by-step method

Add one or two musical elements at a time to build confidence and avoid overwhelming beginners.