Inspiration from higher education: Composition at RWCMD

Composition is part of every music curriculum, and it gives students the chance to explore music for themselves. From a young age we can allow students the opportunity to discover sounds and find their own unique way of expressing themselves. As music teachers, we are tasked with helping them on this journey by providing them with creative outlets, resources, and ways of capturing ideas.

I spoke to John Hardy, who is head of composition and lecturer in music at Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (RWCMD). During our conversation, we considered composition in school and how we can prepare students for higher education. We also discussed how to approach composition and support students in finding their own unique compositional voices.

Building blocks

I don't know about you, but at times in my career I have struggled to know where to start with composition. I think we can often worry about what to do, how to do it and what makes for a suitable composition curriculum. I discuss this with Hardy, and we conclude that we must find a starting point that works for us and our students. This could be through the building blocks of composition, where students use harmony, melody, and texture – to name just a few. It might be through a more genre-specific composition, where students learn to compose within a certain framework.

Hardy is clear that this ‘building blocks’ approach to composition is important for students, but he also advocates for using a more organic approach, where students create something from the ground up. He suggests an activity where students pass ideas around the classroom, each adding to the previous idea. Allowing a composition to grow and develop in this way is fun and engaging for students and keeps them constantly creating.

Group composition tasks can be enjoyable for students, and it should mean that they have all been involved in the process. They all buy in to the piece and they leave with the experience of creating something. The downside is that they can't use it for coursework – but it is crucial that we don't always solely focus on coursework, but also spend time focusing on building confidence in our students.

The problem with teaching only ‘classical’ building blocks is that it can be hard for students to know what to do with them. Isolated skillsets don't necessarily make a complete ‘composition kit’ and it is only through discovery that students really know how to form their ideas into a finished piece.

Final year composition student Kirsten Evans setting up Music Box, Atmospheres 2019 © KIRSTEN MCTERNAN

Finding their voice

‘What do you want to say’ is a phrase that Hardy uses several times in our conversation, and it really resonates with me. He discusses the need for students to find their own ‘unique voice’ but does express that at university level this can take time. This answers my first question about why we need to teach composition in schools. Through the teaching of composition, we give students the chance to say something with music. How long it takes them to find their own unique voice is another matter, but we must give them a chance.

Hardy says that when students arrive at university, they have all had different experiences. Some have developed their own sound, but for others it can take two or three years. A student who has studied A Level Music on their own in a class may have developed more of a unique voice compared to those in larger groups, but it will all come down to their experience of music in school.

I wonder how much space you give to students to generate and discover music in your classroom? All too often, we can fall into the trap of making composition like a puzzle or game – although Hardy and I both agree that tasks of this nature are essential for student understanding. It's that next stage of creating something authentic that is down to the students, and we must guide them. It strikes me that in a higher education setting, students are being guided in the same way as we might guide them at GCSE and A Level.

Balancing act

This takes the conversation to what students at secondary could and should do to prepare for higher education. Hardy feels that there needs to be a balance between tasks that have a quantifiable angle and ones that are more open. Completing a Fugue or Bach Chorale can give students a boost – particularly if they are good at it. It can be an enjoyable process and helps to switch on interest, but open-ended tasks can be more exciting for students and can prepare them for future composition studies.

I think Hardy and I both agree that understanding music theory and Western notation is important for students, but it is only ‘one tool in the toolbox’. It is music to my ears when Hardy expresses the need for students to listen to as much music as possible. The more they listen, the more they discover. It is great to discuss the impact of listening and it affirms my belief that listening is key for our students.

We get into a discussion about how we can guide students to ‘say something’ with music. I am sure you will agree that for most students, it helps to give them something to start them off – an image, idea, poem, sentence, or story. As teachers, we can scaffold the learning process, but we both maintain that the ideas must then come from the students. Another important factor is to give students time and space to learn about composition, and I am currently exploring the idea of composition clubs and events. I am therefore keen to ask Hardy about Atmospheres, an annual composition festival event at RWCMD.

Showcasing composers

The festival is a chance for students to showcase their compositional work and put something on that is their own. Atmospheres has been an annual event for many years and is a new music festival. Students can showcase their own music and ‘say something using their own unique voice’. It feels in some ways that this festival is the culmination of all their years of composing music in an education setting, acting as a springboard into the future. Hardy tells me about former students who are now working alongside Hollywood composers, and it is amazing to think about the potential of composition for my students.

It got me thinking about composition in my own school and whether I do enough to showcase the composers. Have you ever thought about that? Concerts, recitals, musicals, and performances are always firm fixtures on the calendar, but maybe there needs to be an annual composition focus. It is interesting discussing this with Hardy, and I feel that it would really prepare students for higher education and beyond, giving them the chance to create their own music, find their voice, say something and, in the process, put on a fantastic event.

A composer and pianist at Atmospheres 2019 © KIRSTEN MCTERNAN

Questions to consider

Reflection is a good thing, and after my conversation with Hardy, I gave a great deal of thought to composition in my school. It might be useful to ask ourselves the following questions:

• Do we spend enough time thinking about our composition lessons and curriculum?
• Do we give students space to create, explore and develop?
• Are our students ready for higher education if that's what they want?
• Do our lessons offer students authentic ways to compose?
• Is technology becoming a barrier in our own teaching of composition?

These questions and more will continue to be a theme in my own thinking, and I will keep returning to that question: ‘What do you want to say?’ When students have a clear idea about what they want to say with their music, the outcomes are stronger. It strikes me that as they set out to say something, they commit to the process and enjoy the journey much more.

Composition in school might be a strength for you, but it might also be an area you wish to explore. I encourage you to look at your curriculum and think about what you teach and how you teach it. My conversation with Hardy has encouraged me and inspired me. I am encouraged that I am doing the right thing, most of the time, but I am inspired to do more and create a culture of composition that helps students to find their own voice. I want to ensure that my students are ready for higher education, but in the meantime, enjoy composing their own music.

About Atmospheres

Taking place on 5–8 May, Atmospheres offers an eclectic mix of world premieres produced by RWCMD composers, capturing the college's spirit of enterprise, collaboration and creativity. With innovation at its heart, the festival showcases a range of work from bicycle powered installations to pop-up operas, to projects that explore the relationship between music, movement, light and colour.

This year, Atmospheres opens with a performance of Errollyn Wallen’s The Paradis Files, from the UK's leading disabled-led theatre company: A Graeae Theatre Company Production in partnership with BBC Concert Orchestra and Curve Theatre.

www.rwcmd.ac.uk