Index of Composition Corner Posts

Recently, I published an Index of Dollars and Sense posts so that you can quickly find the areas that interest you.  I’m getting more and more questions about teaching composition, so I thought it might be helpful to also post an index of the Composition Corner posts.  In addition to seeing them below with annotations, you can also see these articles here.

Helping Students Compose

Keep This in Mind

Before you read about specific things to do with students who are composing, here are 2 articles that discuss 2 things that should always be in the forefront of your mind as you work with your students:

What Do You Want Me to Do? If your own student brings you a composition, here’s one of the best things you can ask before they play.

Find something positive   What Would You Say?  Suppose you were the judge of a composition contest and you ran across a composition that just made you scratch your head! See what you and I would say.

How Much Should I Help My Student Compose?  Many teachers wonder how much help they should give to their students if they are entering a composition contest.

Harmonizing

Creating Harmony – Reharmonizing Here’s a very easy way to help students learn how to harmonize a composition. Includes some free worksheets to use.

Harmonizing Compositions  Here’s a list of ways to harmonize a composition which might include some forgotten harmonies.

Constructing Good Melodies

Problems with Melody Here are some of the frequent problems with melody that I see in my own and other students’ compositions

Here’s what you can do about some of those problems:

A Good Melody: Rhythm  

A Good Melody: Motives

A Good Melody: Contour

Composition Helps:

Finale 2012 is Now Free!

Instrument Ranges Chart

Tapping into Creativity Article in AMT – Here is an excerpt of the article I wrote for the American Music Teachers which contains many tips about how to give your students easy, simple creative assignments to help them understand all the things you are already teaching!

Composition Contests

Composition Contests for Students Yes, there are lots of opportunities for students that are still in grade school, Jr. High, High School, and even college.

Teaching Composition: Q & A

Do you have question about teaching students composition? Please email me and I’ll be happy to help!


Don’t forget to sign up for the ComposeCreate email newsletter where you’ll get these blog posts and updates by email every 3 weeks or so.  It’s a great way to make sure you don’t miss any new idea!

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