Knowledge-rich creative composing at KS3

I recently completed the ‘Listen Imagine Compose’ master's degree in music education with Birmingham City University. I reflected on my own teaching and how I had been applying composing rules almost exclusively without allowing time to develop students’ creativity. My research examined whether a practical exploratory approach on the part of the students might result in more in-depth musical knowledge and understanding.

Teachers have always had to try and find the right balance between teaching rules and allowing for creativity. It can be argued that knowing the rules is important because students need understanding to manipulate the musical elements. Rules can also be the source of new ideas. Students who are taught composing skills have a larger toolkit to employ in their composing. However, from my teaching experience, I found that students needed to be encouraged to think creatively and to play with sound.