In the last Composition Corner post, I asked readers to comment on what they might say if a student came in to their lesson excited about their composition and played this:
I have to say that I am thrilled with the participation in this “breakout session.” It was amazing to me how each of you found something very positive to say and no one really said the same thing! Each of you brought a different perspective to this challenge and the results were amazing.
The great thing about this exercise is that you had more than a few seconds to come up with a response, but hopefully the exercise of finding something positive exercised your thought pattern so that it will be easier to do quickly the next time a student brings in a melody.
I’m going to tell you what my first instinct would be to say to this student and then I’m going to comment on a few of your responses.
My Response
I have to admit that my response to this melody would have been to swallow hard and raise my eyebrows just a bit. My mind would probably race with all the things that are less desirable about the melody. It is so easy to criticize a melody when you know what the component of a good melody are, but it does take practice to think of ways to praise specific parts of a student’s composition and use those comments to springboard into a teaching moment.
It should be noted that there would be several goals here:
- To encourage this student to continue to compose.
- To highlight what is good about the melody so as to impress on that student’s mind at least one thing that comprises a good melody.
- If appropriate, to use the melody as a springboard to teach one new component of a good melody so that the student’s ability is broadened before they compose again.
So here is one thing I might say to this student:
You know, I just love how you gave me a rhythmic surprise two times in that melody! You were just sailing along there with those quarter notes and suddenly…whoa! You really made me pay attention! That’s a great way to keep melodies from getting boring, give them a little rhythm surprise every once in a while. It really makes people perk up and pay attention to your music.
Another, less obvious thing you could say might be:
You have so many interesting ideas in this melody! There’s one idea in the middle that my ears really noticed. This little motive: F# A G is really interesting. I like how the notes are close together and the rhythm is a little different. My ears really pick up on motives like that that I can sing easily since the notes are close together. I’ll bet you could make an entire composition based on that one motive!”
Now, the composer in me and the teacher in you probably might want to point out a few things that are less than stellar about this melody. But, stick to pointing out what is good, especially if you know that the student will be on to composing the next melody quickly. The positive things you say about their composition and the principles of good composition will stay with them and they will eventually start to incorporate what you have been affirming and teaching into their compositions.
Of course a student who answered the “What do you want me to do?” question by asking for help will want more substantive instruction than this. But, that’s another subject for another post.
Your Responses
Like I said, I was really impressed with all of your responses, so I would invite you to go back and read everyone’s response in full. At first I was just going to highlight a few responses, but I can’t ignore anyone’s response since they were spot on:
I would probably compliment the student on their nice use of a little syncopation (which might be a new concept for them). That makes the song more appealing than if it were just straight quarter notes. Maybe a little comparison to the nice repetition of rhythm patterns in their song to the first few lines of Mozart’s “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” would help boost their composing confidence while emphasizing the appeal of the element of repetition in a piece.
Heidi has a great idea to make a connection to a piece that is familiar to the student. The rhythm is indeed a great place to compliment this student and any time you can compliment a student on repetition, please do so. Too many students do not understand the importance of repetition in a piece.
First off, big points for originality!
I like that the F# in m.2 is repeated in m.3 — makes it sound like you “meant it”, and combined with the Eb almost leads me to think that you are wanting this to be in G Minor…until the B-natural in m.4. I would then talk a little about “atonal” pieces — perhaps find something on YouTube for them to listen to a bit of. If they liked the sound of that, then I would actually let them keep it!
I like how Anna points out the use of repeated notes in case this students might think that a good melody jumps around to new notes all the time. Then, I like the way she uses this as a spring board to introduce to atonal music that might be similar to the student’s. This gives Anna the opportunity to see what kind of melody the student was really trying to compose. If she discovers that she didn’t mean to compose an atonal melody, then Anna can give her tips about how to make the piece more “at home” in a key or mode.
I also might ask them if they had ever heard of the composer Hindemith, because their clever use of 4ths and 5ths remind me a little bit of his music. And then maybe assign some listening.
Tony had several nice thoughts, but I like the way he uses the melody here as a springboard into teaching a student about another composer and a particular technique that the student could explore in another composition attempt.
…I would embrace that melody with my heart and soul and play it over and over and harmonize it right on the spot and sing along as I played so that they could hear how amazing their creation was. They would also hear that I took short breaths after each dotted quarter and depending on the age of the student, we might or might not talk about that.
Stacy wholly embraced the melody and uses it here as a springboard to demonstrate how to harmonize it. Then, she does exactly what I propose…give the student a new thought to use in another composition or in pieces she is already working on.
a) M 1 outlines a C7 chord — many melodies outline chords (Mozart Sonata Facile begins this way as well as Finale to Beethoven’s 5th Symphony).
b) M 2-3 strong beats 1 and 3 form the chromatic movement F-F#-G-F# — many memorable melodies contain this type of movement
Dan notes the harmonic suggestions and ties these to familiar and well-loved pieces. Making connections to familiar pieces that have wonderful melodies really boosts students’ confidence. Also, pointing out small motives within a melody is extremely important especially if the student goes on to create a contrasting theme. Borrowing motivic ideas from the A theme is a great way to build a B theme.
…Superior job notating the accidentals, having some repeated elements both in rhythm and accidentals without being too boring and predictable!
Again, I like the way Betsy notes the rhythm as a positive characteristic. She is also teaching the student a valuable lesson when she suggests that melodies can indeed be too boring and predictable!
I loved your repeated rhythm pattern. It brings great comfort to an ethereal sounding piece. I wondered if you had something in mind?…
I like the way Karen gives the student the chance to talk about the melody! It is likely that the student had something in mind when they composed it and allowing them the time to talk about that might give the teacher more insight into the purpose of the melody. Knowing the ideas behind the melody helps the teacher know what to emphasize and what to teach.
What a great “atonal” feel to this “melody”. You are right in league with the style of Schoenberg and others who brought us out of the “old” I IV V I way of thinking about music! Yeah! I notice that you haven’t titled your piece, so I wondered if you might try some simple experiments to give this segment more “character” and think of a title to spur our imagination. For example, try playing it VERY softly an octave higher with pedal and lots of expression. Would that remind you of something like “Drifting Clouds” or “Dreaming”? Then try it two octaves lower than written, all staccato and very accented and rather fast – What title might fit that “character”? Try a combinationbetween two contrasting characters – like a sister and brother, two friends, or even two animals! The main thing is, your melody is just full if interesting life just as it is – tweaking it with these simple suggestions will really feed our imaginations as we listen to you perform it. (And how about repeating it a few times for an even longer piece?) Good going! Keep looking for new ways to express yourself through music! I love that you think outside the box!
I like the way Carol takes this melody at face value and encourages the student to experiment with different touches and interpretations to give it more character. Too often students forget that their melody can have many different characters depending on touch, tempo, dynamics, etc. I also like her use of “tweak.” Students are much more willing to “tweak” something than change it. Can’t you just hear the energy in her voice as she’s saying these things? I’ll bet the student is surprised by this energetic response and will go home charged with enthusiasm for their next composition (and will hopefully use the tips she has suggested, if not this time, it will happen eventually).
I love the way you thought of this rhythm! The eighth note going over the bar line to the quarter note drives the melody forward very nicely.
This is simple and short, but it’s right on! Sandra points out how rhythm serves the melody well in those measures.
The range of the melody is effective and manageable. It appears to be outlining the harmonies a la the Baroque. Since Baroque lines often contain either multiple melodies or a melody surrounded by harmony notes, I think I would look at possible melodic shapes “hidden” in this melody. (The upper C and Bb in measure 1 going through the A in measure 2 to the G and F# in measure 3. Then does it go to E or back up to B-Bb-C?) By comparing this melody with something by Bach, we could both get some ideas for it and give the subtle compliment that it _can_ be as great as Bach. It also could lead into a discussion of tendency tones and listening to each note.
This analysis is very interesting and a great way to start talking about Bach like Rebecca suggests. It might not work with a younger student, but an analytical student would love this kind of analysis and bridge to Bach. I would have loved that kind of analysis as a composition student!
Thank you all for your participation in this breakout session. We’ll do more of these in the future! If you have specific questions about teaching composition, please contact me and I will try to answer these in a future blog post.
