ABSTRACT
In Canadian music classrooms, composing is much less common than performing. For many years, mandated music curricula and teachers’ practices emphasized learning to play instruments and sing, with only very limited attention to nurturing young composers. Currently, composing is much better represented in mandated curricula than it has been in the past, but teachers’ practices still heavily emphasize the development of performance skills. This chapter begins by reporting research indicating the extent to which music educators nurture composing in their programs. It then offers examples of mandated curriculum expectations and recommended practices at elementary and secondary levels. The author then provides a synthesis of ten years of Canadian professional music education literature that addresses the teaching and learning of composing (26 articles), describing in detail and providing examples related to four themes that have emerged as prominent: (a) the need for more creative opportunities in music classrooms; (b) recommended composing approaches (including games and exercises, working with sound and soundscapes, graphic scores, and songwriting); (c) applying creativity research to nurturing composing; and (d) encouraging teachers to teach composing even though it is outside their comfort zone.
