ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a description and review of the teaching and learning of composition in Croatian compulsory schools in regular and extracurricular music lessons, as well presenting the possibilities of involving students in composing and describing a variety of composing models. An analysis of the historical background as well as the musical-pedagogical relevance of composing in schools from 1946 to today reveals that it has almost always been present in music lessons as a part of the area of creativity. However, composing has not been very prevalent within the Croatian curricula. The following reasons account for the fact that the teaching of musical composition has rarely been carried out: students only receive one music class per week, the teachers’ own lack of composing ability, a lack of interest or ideas on how to teach composing, and the absence of educational materials and handbooks. On the other hand, those teachers who are willing to teach composing often achieve valuable results with their students. In that way, students are given the possibility to develop their musical, cognitive, psychomotor, and social skills; acquire knowledge; understand music better; gain independence; and develop work responsibility.
