University of South Florida
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Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Graduate School
April 2018
Music Software in the Compositional Learning
Process
Daniel L. Nevels
University of South Florida,
[email protected]
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Nevels, Daniel L., "Music Software in the Compositional Learning Process" (2018). Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
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Music Software in the Compositional Learning Process
by
Daniel L. Nevels
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements of the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
School of Music
College of the Arts
University of South Florida
Major Professor: David Williams, Ph.D.
Victor Fung, Ph.D.
Clint Randles, Ph.D.
Baljinder Sekhon, Ph.D.
Date of Approval:
April 4, 2018
Keywords: Music Technology, Music Software, Composition,
Music Education, Electronic Music
Copyright © 2018, Daniel L. Nevels
Dedication
To:
Mom
Wife
Son
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Dr. David Williams – For all of the help during my time at USF
Table of Contents
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... iv
PAPER 1........................................................................................................................................... 1
LINEAR AND NONLINEAR MUSIC COMPOSITION SOFTWARE ................................... 1
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE .................................................................................. 2
Capturing the Essential Distinctions ................................................................................... 3
Nonlinear description .......................................................................................................... 5
Historical Background ........................................................................................................ 6
Creativity............................................................................................................................. 8
Theoretical models of creativity ......................................................................................... 9
Systematic thinking........................................................................................................... 11
Intuition ............................................................................................................................. 12
The Gregorc Style Delineator ........................................................................................... 14
Brain lateralization ............................................................................................................ 16
Creativity and Intuition: Applications .............................................................................. 18
Creativity in Music ........................................................................................................... 19
Creative thinking in music ................................................................................................ 20
Creativity instruction via music ........................................................................................ 21
Suitability of creativity instruction for young people ....................................................... 22
Creativity in school music programs ................................................................................ 24
Kodály ............................................................................................................................... 24
Suzuki ............................................................................................................................... 25
Orff Schulwerk.................................................................................................................. 25
Dalcroze ............................................................................................................................ 26
Gordon .............................................................................................................................. 26
Essentially, the fundamentals............................................................................................ 27
Creativity: Secondary school level ................................................................................... 28
Creativity in school music: Summary ............................................................................... 29
i
Music composition as creativity ....................................................................................... 30
Music Composition in American Schools ........................................................................ 31
Distinguishing composition from improvisation .............................................................. 32
Critical thinking/decision-making .................................................................................... 33
Composition: What to teach and how ............................................................................... 34
Composition processes...................................................................................................... 35
Composing music via technology ..................................................................................... 38
Remaining Review Sections ............................................................................................. 39
Linear and Nonlinear Music: Including the Listener’s Perspective.................................. 40
Nonlinear musical compositions: Background ................................................................. 41
Aleatory as compositional rebellion ................................................................................. 43
Evolutionary music ........................................................................................................... 44
Music for video games ...................................................................................................... 44
Max/MSP – Programming software to modify music ...................................................... 47
The listener and nonlinear music ...................................................................................... 48
Linear/traditional musical content .................................................................................... 49
Perception of music in linear terms .................................................................................. 50
Music in the memory ........................................................................................................ 50
Implications of composition and improvisation in K-12 in education ............................. 51
Review Summary...................................................................................................................... 52
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................... 55
FOR PAPER 1 .......................................................................................................................... 55
Appendix ........................................................................................................................................ 70
Eight-Note Delay ...................................................................................................................... 71
AutoFilter .................................................................................................................................. 74
Flanger Effect ........................................................................................................................... 77
Reverb Effect ............................................................................................................................ 80
Vocoder Effect .......................................................................................................................... 83
PAPER 2......................................................................................................................................... 86
Using music software in the compositional process: A case study of electronic music
composition............................................................................................................................... 86
ii
Links for the paper 2 ................................................................................................................. 86
iii
Abstract
Computer software for music has made a significant impact by affecting the perspective
of music making, music creating, music education, music production, and music distribution.
This impact continues to evolve as individuals seek new avenues of musical expression. Through
the papers included in this document, I seek to explore the range and impact of computer
software in music, especially software related to music creativity and composition.
The first paper is a review of literature concerning the effect of software on creative
thought, creativity in music, and the influence this has had in musical composition. In this paper
I also explore various techniques of composition, including linear and non-linear processes,
which make use of the computer and music software.
The second paper is a case study examining the use of music software in a compositional
process. In this paper I explore the experiences of the student who was learning to compose
music using music software. It offers the perspectives of the students as they developed through
each step of the compositional process.
It is important that the reader understand the distinction between composition and
improvisation as discussed in these two papers. Simply stated, the act of composing is described
as the process of forming, making, creating, or constructing music with various elements,
phrases, or sections of music. Composing music is often associated with a skill set that captures
inspiration and transforms it into a permanent record. Improvisation is the act of creating and
iv
playing new music without specific forethought or prior preparation. It can also be define as a
skill of creating music in a spontaneous, impromptu, or impulsive way.
v
PAPER 1
LINEAR AND NONLINEAR MUSIC COMPOSITION SOFTWARE
1
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
The use of computer software in the performance and creation of music has
gained in popularity and common practice over the last 20 years. Digital audio workstations
(DAW’s), hardware and/or software configurations used for producing, recording, and editing
audio files, were dominant mechanisms in use, especially in popular music genres, by the early
2000’s. They provided a vehicle not only for generating edited and mastered music, but also for
performing electronic music in a live venue (Holmes & Holmes, 2002).
Digital audio workstations followed a time-base or linear format based on a
magnetic tape model that was highly sequential. Musicians performing electronic music with the
linear format/model found the software restrictive and difficult to use in the expression of
creativity - especially in live performances. The inclusion of other hardware technology such as
MIDI keyboards (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), digital drum machines, and turntables
added possibilities for live music performance and creativity. In spite of these technological
additions, the experiences of the performers specializing in electronic music still lacked creative
expression (Holmes & Holmes, 2002).
The restrictions of DAW’s encountered by many performers provided the impetus
to investigate or create other methods that would enable a creative and expressive dialogue
between the musician specializing in electronic music, the music technology software, and the
audience (Collins & Rincón, 2007). As live electronic music performances evolved, new
2
emerging interactive technologies were created by software designers accentuating a primary
objective of supporting creative expression for the live performer (Hook, 2013). One innovation
that provided a greater expressive and creative live performance was a software program created
by three German software engineers in 1999, called "Ableton Live" (Ableton, 2016; Henke,
2016).
The foundation of "Ableton Live" consists of a software design combining two
graphical user interfaces. The first graphical interface is the highly sequential, linear format
reflecting the design of prior digital audio workstations (linear). The second interface is an
abstract, or nonlinear format created to enhance live performances (Pecko, 2016). Although the
two interfaces coexist in the same program, the linear format provides recording and audio
editing functions for electronic music, and the nonlinear format has various other functions to aid
the electronic music composer. In addition to containing the functions of recording and editing
audio, the nonlinear format allows the user to create or compose music in an abstract or random
manner. That is, the user is not constrained to a sequential (or linear) method of generating or
constructing music.
The nonlinear format provides the electronic music composer and/or performer
with a means of achieving greater freedom of creativity and musical expression. Creating music
in this way is a more fluid experience than in the linear format. In addition, the nonlinear format
provides a substantial increase in the experience of an electronic musical performance and offers
an alternative method for improvisation as well as composing electronic music.
Capturing the Essential Distinctions
The essence of the distinct user experience between the two formats (models)
3
pertains to the mental process of musical and procedural thought generation. The linear format,
and thus the linear composition software model, structured the elements of the composition
process into a hierarchical format that is rooted in chronology. For example, the first thing a user
might experience using software oriented around the linear model is the beginning of the
song/composition. The beginning is the first component one would experience with respect to
time. Then, the user proceeds to the subsequent aspects of the musical product, ultimately
finishing the music at the end. (The portion of the song that occurs last with respect to
chronology.) We even find a semi-hierarchical model within the chronological base in this type
of software model. We might imagine a top-down approach. One where the melodic/primary
musical components are established first. Then the harmonic/secondary aspects are added. Then
those aspects of the music that are supportive or supplementary. And so goes the compositional
process. From left to right; top to bottom.
The problem is that many musicians do not conceive of music in such a formulaic
manner. A musician may first have a musical idea or passage in his/her head that he/she feels is
an excellent way to end a song without ever having conceived of what might be considered the
introductory, head, chorus, bridge, or any other traditional preceding part of the song. He may—
and in many cases, does—mentally conceive of the music out of sequence. That is, in a nonlinear
manner.
An analogous reference might be writing a paper in a creative writing course. If
we give a student some very basic parameters, allowing him/her to conceive of the various
components of the writing, the product may emerge in what appears to be a random or abstract
manner. Perhaps he first conceives of the type of characters he wishes to write about. Or the type
of story. Maybe he decides that he wants his dog to play a key role. And then decides how he
4
would like the story to end. But if we give a student a highly structured, hierarchical set of
instructions, and then a computer with a blank document for her to fill with text, the tendency
may be to start at the beginning, and proceed from the beginning through to the end. So, a great
deal of the user’s choice is constrained and facilitated by software that is designed to be—for
lack of a better term —friendly to a certain style of compositional process.
Nonlinear description
The nonlinear interface resembles a table with multiple columns and rows resembling a
grid of cells. Each column represents a virtual track containing a specific entity such as an
instrument, drums, synthesizer, or audio effects or may contain audio or MIDI data. From this
interface, the musician can populate the cells with varying musical information that he is creating
or composing.
In the nonlinear format, each individual row can perform multiple functions, and
any row can be moved in any order with other rows. Additionally, a row can provide time
signature and tempo changes. The software offers the ability to play all the cells in each column
residing in that row. Executing a row to play during a performance presents the electronic
musician with the opportunity to perform the rows sequentially or randomly.
The design of the interface is not restricted to playing only individual rows, but
allows the playing of random individual cells. The freedom of playing random cells affords the
composer or the performer creative expression during music making or music composition
process. The nonlinear interface is a unique design providing real-time creative response to
improvisational and compositional ideas.
5
Historical Background
Some innovations created since the early 1980s are essential to the design and
production of the nonlinear composition model as it exists today. These innovations—
which include advances in hardware, software, and interactive designs—created a platform for
performance and composition of electronic music. The examination of some of these innovations
will provide a foundation and a reference point for this paper.
Some of the first innovations are the PC (personal computer), disc drive, audio
conversion technology, and software designs. The convergence of these innovations created the
foundation of the digital domain. The development and utilization of the PC and its framework
of hardware and software operating system provided the environment or digital domain to create
and record digitized sound and video information. The invention of the internal disk drive was a
crucial component of the computer allowing accessibility in sequential, random, and direct
access of the data stored on the drive. This essential piece of hardware enabled the recording of
digitized sound and the conception of the electronic musician.
Continued advances in computer technology dominated this span of time with
rapid advancements in music recording software and audio digital convertors. These innovations
were responsible for the movement of recorded audio from magnetic tape to a digital audio file
such as wave, MP3, AIFF, and various other formats. These various formats enabled
considerable reductions in the size of the audio files, permitting the storage of audio on digital
media.
Increasing the CPU (Computer Processing Unit) processing speed contributed to
the enormous improvement in the structure and processing power of the PC. High-speed
6
conversion of video from magnetic tape to a digital format became possible as a result. The
increase of CPU speed also permitted an increase of internal data transfer rates facilitating the
high speed editing of digitalized audio and video data. Software written during this time
established the standard of video and audio editing.
The concept of nonlinear editing of video and audio data began as a foundational
framework and later served as the standard for software video and audio editing (Rubin, 1995).
Nonlinear editing has been in use in the broadcast and entertainment industry since the late
1990s, and is now the standard for commercial media, film, video, and audio editing. This
foundational software and hardware architecture was the platform that the nonlinear composition
software model was built upon.
Creating music in computer programs using linear and nonlinear formats is both
new and old. The more well-established of the two areas is composing in computer programs
using linear models. Composing music in computer programs using nonlinear models is a far
more contemporary practice. Consequently, the respective literatures are exclusive (to one
format or the other), vary considerably in depth and rigor, and offer little in the way of
substantive contributions to theory or practice. This is especially true of educational contexts
where instructional pedagogies and practices have been examined.
Since a dearth of applicable empirical research exists, it is necessary to
incorporate literatures that are directly and indirectly related. Principally, literatures (including
both research and other writings) from the areas of creativity, intuition, musical creativity, music
composition, music education and even some aspects of music history are integrated here. Each
area sheds some light on various elements at work in the music composition process, and how
these elements intersect with computerized music composition and real-time creation.
7
Creativity
There can be little question that creativity intersects the type of musical
composition activities presented here. It falls under what is considered a broad or governing
mental phenomenon that heavily influences creation in any domain. Creativity is thought to
intersect, in some way, nearly every facet of life. The belief that creativity is a necessity in
problem solving, for example, underscores the significance of this capacity in such areas as
business, government, science, and education (Gardner, 2007, 2008).
A dense and diverse history of creativity literature suggests a substantial interest
in the subject. Research began in the 1950s when Guildford's speech to the American
Psychological Association challenged psychologists to pursue research in creativity from a
scientific standpoint (Guilford, 1950). This may have marked the beginning of creativity research
that has continued even to the current time.
One of the great challenges of researching anything is arriving at a clear and
concise definition of the subject being studied. As we see from the following material, defining
creativity in a manner worthy of broad consensus has proven difficult. Barron and Harrington
(1981) define creativity first, as an achievement that is both socially recognized and novel, and
second, as an ability exhibited by an exoteric performance during a critical period, such as an
examination or challenge. Simonton (2001) states that creativity has the "capacity to produce
ideas that are both originative and adaptive" (p. 2). Amabile (1996) , Csikszentmihalyi (1996),
Gardner (1993), Randles (2009) agree that creativity is the act of creating or is the description of
a process that produces a finalized result that is both novel and useful. Feldhusen and Goh (1995)
define creativity as:
8
. . . a parallel construct to intelligence. However, it differs from intelligence in that it is
not restricted to cognitive or intellectual functioning or behavior. Instead, it is concerned
with a complex mix of motivational conditions, personality factors, environmental
conditions, chance factors, and products.
Studies suggest that individuals who exhibit creativity or creative insight contain
have skills or abilities that characterize the attributes of creativity (Amabile, 1996; Guilford,
1950). The observation of people employed in creative activities has uncovered, through
examination, similar creative traits, and patterns. These traits or patterns represent the
foundations of creativity that facilitates the production of novel ideas or solutions to problems. It
is through the observation of similar creative patterns or processes, which permitted the
examination, identification, and the construction of creativity models (Sawyer, 2006; Webster,
1992).
Theoretical models of creativity
Csikszentmihalyi (1996) and Amabile (1993) maintain that creativity is best
expressed as a model consisting of three parts: the domain, the field, and the creative product.
For the creative product to be significant to the domain, it must meet two criteria. The product
must be: 1) novel and unique, and 2) must be an original and anomalous achievement. The
domain represents the discipline, subject area, or sphere of influence that applies to the creative
product. The definition of the field can be described as a subset of the domain and expressed as
the territory, or specific area of the creative product.
A number of creative models exist in earlier literature. The Wallas Model for the
Process of Creativity (Wallas, 1926), Rossman's Creativity Model, (Rossman, 1931), Osborn
9
Seven Step Model for Creative Thinking, (Osborn, 1953), The Creative Problem Solving (CPS)
Model, (Parnes, 1992), A Model for Strategic Planning, (Bandrowski, 1985), and Fritz Process
of Creation, (Fritz, 1991), all stand as evidence of the multitude of conceptualizations in which
creativity has been framed over the years.
Creative models recognized by cognitive research demonstrate the creative
process. Of these, Wallas' model has found support in literature and is identified in divergent
disciplines (Wallas, 1926; Webster, 1992). This model describes four stages: 1) preparation, 2)
incubation, 3) illumination, and 4) verification (see Figure 3). Each stage is a step toward the
creative product. The preparation stage outlines the scope of the problem. The incubation stage is
time spent away from the problem to reflect on the current formation of the product. The
illumination phase is the moment of the creation of the idea or solution for the problem. The
verification stage is the time the idea is tested, verified or put into practice and refined.
Csikszentmihalyi (1996) posits a five-step model including elaboration. The
framework for Csikszentmihalyi's model is: 1) preparation, 2) incubation, 3) illumination or
insight, 4) verification or evaluation, and 5) elaboration (see Figure 4). The first step,
preparation, is the integration with the problem or task. The observation of integration is defined
as a state of absorption into the music or art in such a way that the thought processes are focused
entirely on that task. The second step, incubation, describes the processing of ideas below the
consciousness level. The third step illumination, provides an instant when parts of thoughts come
together to make a new whole. It is in this step that musicians and artists realize that something
happened to birth a new idea. Verification or evaluation, which is the fourth step, occurs when
the creative person evaluates or verifies whether the innovation is worthwhile.
Researchers
have stipulated that the innovation may be new to the person but not the domain. The last step,
10
elaboration, is defined as a laboriously intensive process that involves processing the details of
the innovation (Csikzentmihalyi, 1996).
A renewed research interest in creativity and creative thinking begin in the 1980s
(Webster, 1992). While the field of psychology was struggling with the definition of creativity,
music researchers continued to search for definitive answers. Influences from psychology
research such as multiple intelligence theories and new assessment techniques provided
inspiration to music researchers (Gardner, 1985, 1993, 1995, 2000; Guilford, 1967; Torrance,
1968).
Systematic thinking
By the mid-1900s, American economic prosperity had been largely credited to
organizational structure within capitalistic enterprises (Kemdall, 1966). It is probably not much
of a stretch of the memory to recall some knowledge of Henry Ford’s innovative approach to the
assembly line in automobile manufacturing. The organizational structure resulted in efficiency
and effectiveness in large-scale production. This mechanized systematic approach to industry
proved to be key in productivity and profitability, in nearly every sector of American business
(Chandler, 1977).
Systematic organizational design, and thinking in a linear systematic manner, had
become a common facet of business in the United States, and thus society. So much so that the
term “organization men” became a common term used to refer to the individuals who designed,
propagated and functioned within bureaucratic systems (Kendall, 1966). Today, the term
“systems thinking” still lingers in the business world as a capacity to conceive of operations,
structure, regulations, and policy within the framework of systems (Ivancevich & Konopaske,
11
2013).
However, by the mid-1900s the “organization man”—and his bureaucratic
systems and structures—were increasingly regarded as stifling to innovation and information
flows (Chandler, 1977). The term began to be associated with rigidity. By the late twentieth
century the term characterized an outmoded and nearly irrelevant construct that was more of a
liability than an asset. The rapidly changing business climate in the U.S., and around the world,
had increased in complexity and competitiveness. Mere efficiency was no longer a significant
advantage. Instead, business leaders in this era regarded intuition, or intuitiveness, as an
indispensable capacity of management (Peters, Waterman, & Jones, 1982; Rowan, 1986).
Intuition
Like creativity, the concept of intuition faced many initial criticisms that were at
least partly attributable to ambiguity. What exactly was intuition? In the minds of many in the
business community of the mid- to late twentieth century, the term was associated with emotioninfused gut feelings or hunches that might play a role in decision making. That made the subject
seem mysterious and unreliable (Leavitt & Walton, 1975; Mishlove, 1996).
Taking intuition seriously in the business community was heavily dependent on
the ability to clearly define, measure, and manage intuition. Intuitive management advocates and
consultants sought guidance from what would later become known as neuroscience (e.g., brain
scans) as well as creativity research, in the hopes of further understanding intuition. But
understanding intuition was not enough to make it manageable. The subject needed to be
understood in sensible terms.
In addition to influences from the areas of neuroscience and creativity research,
12
the intuitive capacity was also thought to possibly be a feature of personality style (Akinci &
Sadler‐Smith, 2012). Even as a trait associated with such things as intelligence or creativity,
intuition would need to be studied from a psychological viewpoint. The possible attachment to
personality made psychological testing all the more important.
Tests such as the Human Information Processing Survey, the Hermann Brain
Dominance Instrument, and the Aptitude Inventory Measurement all examined the intuitive
capacity/function in some form (Lussier, 2016). The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was
the most well-known of these. The MBTI was (and is) a measure that identified a personality
style or type based on examinees’ responses to a battery of written questions. A taxonomy of
four categories, organized into scales or lines, was used: extraversion/introversion,
thinking/feeling, judging/perceiving, and intuition/sensing. The last category (intuition/sensing)
is particularly relevant to this discussion.
The intuition and sensing capacities examined by taking the MBTI were based on
Jung’s conception of these terms. In his book Psychological Types (1923) he identifies intuition
as a type of perception that is beyond the five senses and pertaining to abstractions, imagery,
symbolic representations, and even mental conceptualizations (Jung, 1971). By contrast, the idea
of sensing was empirical. That is, perceptible through one or more of the senses. Jung’s theory
suggested that people tend toward a preference for intuition or sensing as a means of engaging
the world around them. The sensory individual (one who has an inclination toward the senses)
was thought to be more extroverted in personality. The person would more naturally be inclined
to external things. Whereas the intuitive individual was thought to be more inwardly focused and
likely introverted in personality. Isabel Briggs Myers, the MBTI’s creator and developer,
indicated that the intuitive person “preferred abstract ideas to concrete facts, potentialities over
13
actualities, future over present, and holistic over sequential decision making” (Myers & Myers,
2010).
In the 1950’s the University of California at Berkley’s Institute of Personality
Assessment and Research—commonly referenced in literature as IPAR—devised a number of
mechanisms to study and gain insight into the various facets of the personality. IPAR’s early
adoption of the MBTI, for use in psychological assessment, was heavily influenced by the
revelations of MBTI’s intuition scale (Lussier, 2016). While creativity and intuition were
distinguished in the minds of IPAR researchers, a degree of correlation had been established
between these two areas (Bycroft, 2012).
Harrison Gough Gough (1981) was one of IPAR’s researchers who studied the
MBTI’s utilization in the testing done at the Institute. In his paper, presented at the Fourth
Bienniel MBTI Conference at Stanford University, he reported that preference or inclination
toward the intuitive form of perception (the introverted personality type) was rare and found in
approximately twenty-five percent of the general population. He also indicated that among
creative personalities, ninety percent demonstrated preferences or inclinations toward intuitive
perception. Creative people (as the studies had defined creative people) seemed to show a
fondness for the very forms of perception that defined intuition. Finally, he indicated that people
demonstrating a preference for intuitive perception, “favor fantasy and the abstract to factuality
and the concrete, like imaginative more than sober-minded people, value possibilities more than
probabilities, and prefer theories to facts” (as cited in Lussier, 2016, p. 712).
The Gregorc Style Delineator
The Gregorc Style Delineator (GSD) is a self-report instrument that was designed
14
to identify an individual’s primary style/preference of information processing (Benton, 1995).
The instrument establishes two dimensions of stylistic variation or preference. These include: 1)
perception, and 2) sequence. The perception dimension is separated into an abstract form versus
a concrete form, while the sequence dimension is separated into a sequential form versus a
random form. Consequently, the GSD may reveal four categories of information processing style
or preference: Concrete Sequential, Abstract Sequential, Abstract Random, and Concrete
Random.
Individuals who take the GSD rank order ten sets of words. Each word is ranked
with a “4” indicating that the term is most descriptive of the individual (self) to a “1” indicating
that the term is unlike the respondent, or least descriptive of the individual. Subscale scores on
the GSD reveal relative strengths. High scores range from 27-40. Intermediate scores range from
16-26. Low scores range from 10-15.
Although some have questioned the reliability and validity of the GSD (O'Brien,
1990; Reio Jr & Wiswell, 2006) the instrument has been shown to reveal some connectivity to
traits measured by the MBTI. For example, Harasym, Leong, Juschka, Lucier, and Lorscheider,
(1996) examined 259 nursing students’ learning styles, measured by the GSD, and personality
traits (as measured by the MBTI), in a search for alignment. Scores from the MBTI and the GSD,
as well as from achievement examinations and grade point average were examined. Factor
analysis using verimax rotation indicated that the learning style predicted by the GSD
corresponded to the traits examined by the MBTI. Individuals showing a preference for the
Concrete Sequential learning style on The Gregorc Style Delineator tended to show strengths in
the sensing and judging traits from the MBTI. (Recall that sensing from the MBTI was related to
an outward-focused, extroverted, personality.) An individual whose GSD style was Concrete
15
Random tended to demonstrate intuition and perceiving on the MBTI. (Recall that intuition on
the MBTI was derived from a capacity thought to be related to creativity.)
Similarly, Drummond and Stoddard (1992) examined the relationship between
The Gregorc Style Delineator and The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, as well as the construct
validity of the GSD. The study involved 41 undergraduate students who completed both the GSD
and the MBTI. The authors concluded that personality style revealed by the MBTI predicted
some of the learning styles indicated by the GSD. Although statistical power and correlations
were weak in this study (possibly due to a relatively low number of participants) the results lent
some support to the validity of the GSD. The authors indicated that the GSD appeared to
measure dimensions that the MBTI measured, but labeled differently.
The Gregorc Style Delineator lends some credibility to the elements of
information processing and thinking preferences that govern how individuals function as
perceivers and learners. The mere existence of the instrument opens the possibility of highly
sequential thinking and learning styles as well as the possibility of holistic or big picture thinking
that is less dependent upon highly structured information processing. We need not rely
exclusively on the GSD either. It is related to The Gregorc Transaction Ability Inventory, The
Kirton Adaption- Innovation Inventory, and The Kolb Learning Style Inventory (Joniak &
Isaksen, 1988). These instruments may provide a window into the world of linear and nonlinear
composition preference phenomena.
Brain lateralization
Brain lateralization studies emerged in the mid-century. These studies were
detailed in specific brain function and suggested that distinct types of information processing
16
occurred more in one hemisphere of the brain than the other (Springer & Deutsch, 1998). The
right hemisphere was supposedly the locus of holistic thinking, whereas the left hemisphere was
more associated with analytical thinking. Some alignment is evident here. The intuitive capacity
or perceptual preference would be localized primarily in the right hemisphere, where the
analytical or sequential capacity or preference would be localized primarily in the left
hemisphere.
The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) was created in the late 1970s
by former General Electric training director Ned Herrmann. Like the other instruments identified
here, the HBDI was a questionnaire that posed a battery of questions. The purpose if the
instrument was to measure hemispheric preference or dominance of individuals (Herrmann,
1988). That Herrmann himself had worked for a large company as the training director is not
insignificant. Diagnoses were not the only intended applications of the HBDI. Identification of a
preferred or dominant style of cognitive processing was important as a first step toward training
the individual to strengthen those faculties associated with their non-dominant hemisphere
(Herrmann, 1988). The theory of the instrument’s creator was that for comprehensive, efficient,
and effective thinking and problem solving, individuals needed to have the ability to utilize the
entire brain. This type of whole-brain faculty demanded a capacity for toggling back and forth in
the hemispheres of the brain. In Herrmann’s later career as an organizational consultant he would
go on to stipulate that the full effect and utilization of his instrument, and others like it, should be
found in teams and groups of employees and problem solvers within companies. He posited that,
as an example, intuitive managers may do well to contemplate new and innovative ideas and
approaches, while the more linear-thinking managers would have a critical function in
determining the practicality and feasibility of these ideas and approaches (Gorovitz, 1982). The
17
significance of brain lateralization studies such as those using the HBDI is not all- encompassing
in this paper. But consider that it is this literature where we encounter the terms linear and nonlinear as descriptors of thought processes. Agor (1997) article regarding intellectual capital is an
excellent example of the application of such labels, as well as their potential scope and
utilization.
Creativity and Intuition: Applications
The preceding sections have served to broadly frame the subject of linear and
nonlinear music composition along conceptual and theoretical lines. In these literatures, we find
several areas of applicability including: creativity as a broad mental phenomenon influencing
thought and action, the intuitive capacity as a related and possibly internal component of
creativity (general), personality features derived or informed by intuition, information processing
preferences and styles, as well as potential applications of cognitive hemispheric localization that
may play substantial roles in linear and non-linear thinking.
Is it possible that The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, for example, may shed some
light on the type of personality style associated with preference for linear or nonlinear
composition software? Even the Intuition/Sensing subscale of the MBTI may be partially
revealing. How much more applicable may be The Gregorc Style Delineator? Would it be
possible that an individual possessing an information processing style of Abstract Random may
strongly prefer using nonlinear music composition software? These considerations are especially
relevant in the realm of preference, which is not the primary focus of this paper. But we can
easily imagine a scenario where the MBTI and/or the GSD could significantly predict preference
for either music composition platform.
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Success in utilizing music composition software may be illuminated at some
future point as well by these literatures. Is it possible that individuals who indicate a preference
for left hemispheric functions (as identified in The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument) may
demonstrate higher levels of proficiency in music composition using the linear music
composition software. Success/proficiency is not the foremost aspect of this paper either.
Instead, it is primarily oriented around the exact procedures (protocols) student composers utilize
as they engage with the software. But the success/ proficiency aspect could easily be defined and
treated as a dependent variable in subsequent related research.
Creativity in Music
Randles and Webster (2012) describe creativity in music as:
The divergent and convergent thought processes, enacted both in solo and in
ensemble, that lead to musical products that are both novel and useful, within specific sociocultural contexts, manifested by way of specific modes of musicianship or combinations of
modes that can include but are not limited to the following: improvisation, composition,
performance, analysis, and listening.
The authors provide a context-relevant, utility-focused definition. We see that the
thought processes that emerge in musical environments (solo or ensemble), that lead to novel and
useful musical products generated via improvisation, composition, performance, analysis, and
listening (or some combination thereof) defines creativity in music. It is more than a mouthful,
but increasingly accepted as a standard of highly creative music and music making. As such, it
becomes obvious that generating truly creative music, musical thoughts, or musical products is
not done capriciously or absent skill and forethought. For certain, the definition treats the
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creative aspect of music as an artistic, skill-derived element.
Creative thinking in music
Webster (1990b) states that creative thinking is the thought processes occurring
during periods of creativity. During these times, the mind is engaged in deliberate and
meticulous thoughts of sound. Webster states that music creativity is "the engagement of the
mind in the active, structured process of thinking in sound for the purpose of producing some
product that is new for the creator" (Webster, 1990b).
Research involving creative thinking in music is divided into four threads
(Webster, 1990b). The first is musical imagination or musical imagery (Kaschub, 1997; Thomas,
1987). The second focuses on theoretical models of the creative process, such as earlier work by
Vaughan (1973; 1977), and recent work by Swanwick and Tillman (1986), Kratus (1985, 1989,
1994b, 2001), and Wiggins (2003). The third is research of psychometrics and the design of an
assessment instrument that could assess creative aptitude in music (Hickey, 1995; Webster,
1977). The fourth is the observation of creative behavior (Webster, 1990a).
A new (or fifth) thread emerging during the last twenty years pertains to the
application of music technology and its corresponding software environment promoting creative
thinking. Studies by Folkestad (1996), Hickey (1997), and Seddon and O'Neill (2003)
demonstrated the use of music technology as a creative environment to encourage creative music
making and musical products. While each research thread adds to our growing agglomeration of
knowledge, it furthers the clarification of creative processes, creative thinking, and creative
products.
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Creativity instruction via music
Can creativity be taught in, or through, music? This question and many like it
have led to an inconclusive body of literature. Odena (2012) suggests that creative skill is a
capacity that can be developed by participation in musical improvisation, composing, or
performance-oriented, action-based, music making activities. Accepting the definition of Randles
and Webster’s (2012) creativity in music is found in the thought processes that are in play in
various musical contexts. So, providing instruction specific to how to create something is
different than how to think creatively. By this definition, it may be possible to be engaged in the
creation of a musical product, but not engaged in divergent or convergent thought processes that
formulate the basis of creativity. Webster himself states that students engaged in exercising
creativity skills learn strategies or processes, new ideas, and refinement techniques needed to
produce a creative product (Webster, 2002a).
The ambiguity is obvious. It appears that instances may exist where brilliant
production of a creative product may be no more than the refined step-by-step assembly or reemployment of a certain set of skills that lead to the completion of the product.
For much of his career, Webster defined musical creativity as, “the engagement of
the mind in the active, structured process of thinking in sound for the purpose of producing some
product that is new for the creator” (Webster, 2002b, p. 11). The model of the creative thinking
process in music that Webster presented in his 2002(b) work suggested that creative thinking in
music occurs as a result of divergent thinking as well as convergent thinking. Both are integral
processes. As such, composing music, musical improvisation, written analyses of music that was
experienced, and producing recordings were all viewed as highly creative musical endeavors.
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Suitability of creativity instruction for young people
Webster’s creativity research began in 1979 when he investigated the creative
music making abilities of 77 high school students in the Rochester, New York area (see Webster,
1979). He specifically investigated improvisation abilities, composition abilities, and analysis.
The participants were pre-screened with the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (1974) , The
Colwell Music Achievement Tests (1970) were used to determine existing abilities in auditory
discrimination, melody recognition, pitch recognition, and instrument recognition, and Gordon’s
Musical Aptitude Profile (1965) was utilized as well. Those students who scored highly in music
achievement also scored highly in all criteria measures of music creativity (improvisation,
composition, and analysis). The factors of age, grade level, and performance medium, had no
significant relationships to any of the criteria measures. I.Q. (intelligence quotient) was
significantly related to improvisation. Finally, the three skills proved to be related. High
performance in one area was likely to indicate high performance in all three.
At least from the work of Webster, the product driven approach of cultivating
musical creativity seems to be a window into stimulating the requisite types of thinking that
define creativity. Webster advanced the conception of musical creativity, but also indicated that
school music students were capable of being successful in improvisation, composition, and
analysis. His studies also indicated that success in these activities is highly related to the existing
musical skills students possess.
Moorhead (1941, 1942, 1978) and Pond (1981) also pursued research of musical
creativity with young people. This research documented the creativity of young children and the
exploration of instrument sounds. Musical instruments from Asia and America allowed the
children to explore musical sounds and enabled a creative environment for musical expression
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and enjoyment. Pond (1981) said, "Everything that I wished to accomplish would relate itself to
the ways in which I would observe children taking hold of sound, enjoying it, manipulating it to
make sound structures for their use and pleasure" (p. 3). Their research provided grounding for
observing musical creativity and examining the creative product.
Improvisation and compositional research are comprehensive observational
studies that focus on the creative musical product from the participant. Usually the subjects are
children learning to make new sounds with instruments at hand. Children composing, whether it
is an improvisation of a motif or a composition of a song is inclusive of the compositional
process. Moorhead (1978) and Pond (1981) studies are early examples of this research. They
observed the children during their spontaneous music making with the instruments in the school.
Moorhead and Pond's approach provided a naturalistic environment to encourage the children
with opportunities to compose music. Examining the compositional process during the creation
of the product provided opportunities for the understanding of the procedures involved in
composing or creating music with students of this age.
Hickey (2001b) study investigated the assessment of fourth and fifth-grade music
students’ compositions using Amabile’s consensual assessment technique. In this study, the
researcher had previously collected compositions (recordings) that were created by fourth and
fifth-graders. These compositions contained the musical products of a process that the researcher
had developed to lead young children through a compositional technique. Twelve of the twentyone compositions she possessed where randomly selected for assessment by sixty-one judges in
five groups. The five groups were: professional composers (n = 3), music teachers (n = 17),
music theorists (n = 4), 7th grade children (n = 13), and 2nd grade children (n = 24) (p. 238).
Hoyt’s analysis was utilized to generate co-efficient alphas that represented levels
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of agreement. The professional composers who evaluated the compositions demonstrated the
lowest levels of agreement in their evaluations (.04). The teacher group who evaluated the
compositions generated moderate levels of agreement in their use of the consensual assessment
technique (.64). More interestingly, a subgroup of the teacher group—those who taught general
music and choir—exhibited the highest levels of agreement in their evaluations (.81) (p. 240).
This study, and much of the work of Hickey, has gained a great deal of notoriety in music
education. Similar to Moorhead and Pond in the 1940s, this work affirmed that composition is
possible for children (see Pond, 1978).
Creativity in school music programs
Learning is not confined to the formal classroom. However, in the United States it
is in the schools where most children and adolescents encounter formal music instruction.
At the primary school levels this is likely to be some form of general music.
General music teaching in the U.S. is likely to be guided by the Kodály Method, the Suzuki
Method, Orff Schulwerk, or the Dalcroze Approach.
Kodály
Zoltán Kodály viewed music education as highly dependent upon music literacy.
So it comes as no surprise that the Kodály Method is driven toward symbolic representation of
music. Musical syntax is bolstered by the practice of common musical patterns. Visual
representation of rhythm is done with sticks (vertical lines) and connected sticks (to represent
divisions such as eighth notes). Students typically sing in accordance with the Kodály Method
but playing of recorders is also common around Grade 3 and beyond (Hoffer, 2017).
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Suzuki
The Suzuki Method centralizes rote repetition. After hearing a musical example,
the student repeats it with as much replicable detail as he/she can recall. In the event of error, the
instructor repeats the example giving the student another trial to replicate the example correctly.
It should be noted of the Suzuki Method that it is an instrumental pedagogy involving string
instruments. Music is memorized. Reading notation is not introduced in Suzuki until
fundamental concepts of sound production and technique have been established (Kendall, 1966).
Suzuki is the most formulaic of the methods presented here. Much like a one-size-fits-all
approach, in Suzuki, one method fits all as well. Without regard for age, students proceed
through the same set of lessons and musical content. Finally, Suzuki instruction occurs primarily
in one-on-one or small group lessons. Parental attendance is generally required at lessons as well.
So while this method remains popular in the U.S.—especially among string players—its direct
use is limited in the schools. However, some educators have utilized the fundamental tenets of
Suzuki as a platform for teaching elementary level music in other settings (see Suzuki, Mills, &
Murphy, 1973).
Orff Schulwerk
Orff Schulwerk, the method devised by Carl Orff and Dorothea Günther is rather
popular in U.S. schools. Its focus is on elemental aspects (fundamentals) of music that are simple
to understand. Speech rhythms, rhymes, calls, and chants are a part of early instruction in Orff as
they teach students to recognize rhythms in everyday life (Hoffer, 2017). Atop the lessons in
rhythm, singing is presented. Often in call and response style. Physiological movement is
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included in Orff as well. Also, improvisation plays an important role in Orff Schulwerk. It is
presented in a highly-structured manner where students are allowed choice, but within narrow
parameters. As their proficiency and comfort grows, they are offered more choices and fewer
restrictions (Orff, 1963, 1973). Orff also includes instrument playing. This is a highly
recognizable feature of Orff as the various mallet instruments (sometimes called Orff
Instruments) are found in many schools.
Dalcroze
The method of Emile Jaques-Dalcroze contains three primary branches. The first
is a focus on physical response to music. Typically called eurhythmics, students of the method
are encouraged to spontaneously move to the music they hear. The second branch is solfège.
Perhaps the most recognizable feature of solfège is its hand symbols and the fixed do (where C is
always do). The third branch of Dalcroze is improvisation. Students learn to improvise first with
their voices and on percussion instruments as well (Becknell, 1970, 1990).
Gordon
This section would be incomplete without some mention of Edwin Gordon’s
contributions to music learning and music education in the U.S. Gordon may be most readily
recognized in association with the measurement of music aptitude. His Music Aptitude Profile
(Gordon, 1965) is widely known as a reliable measure of stabilized music aptitude. Gordon also
contributed the concept of audition. Gordon referenced audition as an inner hearing of music
before expression or production of it. He referred to this capacity as being to music what forethought is to speech. Eventually his Intermediate Measures of Music Audition (Gordon, 1982)
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became regarded as a measure of music aptitude as well.
Regarding creativity, Gordon distinguished between musical exploration,
creativity, and improvisation (Gordon, 1992). Exploration, Gordon said, was what occurred
when we play on an instrument without any conception of what we’re doing. By contrast,
creativity implies intention, forethought, knowing what we’re doing with the music. Gordon
contrasted improvisation with creativity by saying that improvisation is creativity with imposed
restrictions. In fact, Gordon conceived of a continuum with improvisation (imposed restrictions)
on one side, and creativity (no imposed restrictions) on the other. The more restrictions that are
imposed on the musician, the more improvisatory the creation. As those restrictions are lifted,
the musician begins to move toward increasingly higher levels of creativity.
At least from cursory reviews of some of the most frequently utilized music
teaching methods at primary school levels, it does not appear that young students engage in
highly creative music activities often. Only in Orff Schulwerk and the Dalcroze Method does
improvisation, for example, play an important role. (Albeit among several equally important
components.) Composition seems to receive no mention in any of the methods. If any
implication can be derived from these it may be that the focus on developing fundamentals of
music performance, music reading/comprehension, and an understanding of what Gordon called
rhythmic and tonal syntax, occupies the early stages of music instruction (Bluestine, 2000).
Essentially, the fundamentals
It is not clear why improvisatory aspects of music making or composition (even in
simple forms) is not present in all the methods. Some part of the answer is probably attributable
to their foreign origins. The Kodály Method originated in Hungary. Orff Schulwerk’s origins are
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German, with the Orff Institute eventually begin founded in Salzburg Austria. The Suzuki
Method originated in Japan. And the Dalcroze Method originated in Switzerland. Only Gordon’s
contributions to Music Learning Theory (see Bluestine, 2000) appear to be rooted in the U.S.
The chronology of the beginnings and development of these methods may shape
our understanding as well. Creativity research, and thus, what creativity is and its potential
benefits, began in the mid-century. These music teaching methods originated at almost the same
time. It was impossible to inform the various key figures of the (now) popular teaching methods
about any revelations generated by research. Nevertheless, music education’s national standards
have included improvisation and composition since their integration into The Goals 2000:
Educate America Act (1994). The legislation included National Standards for Arts Education
where music’s original 9 standards were set in print. Standards #3—“Improvising melodies,
variations, and accompaniments,” and #4—“composing and arranging music within specified
guidelines” (as cited in Mark, 1996, p. 50) were applicable to grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12.
Improvisation and composition are both found as standards at each of the three levels. Even the
recent revisions of the national standards have not done away with improvisation and
composition.
Creativity: Secondary school level
There is no reason that the music teaching methods previously mentioned, and
certainly any of Gordon’s contributions, could not be utilized at later (higher) grade levels. This
is just not common practice. Surveys have identified that band and chorus are the primary music
classes offered in most secondary schools, while jazz/rock ensemble and composition courses
represent only 7% of national secondary music curriculum (Abril & Gault, 2008; Williams,
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2007). Where improvisation may be sought, it appears that this would be likely in jazz/rock
ensemble classes or the like. If the work of Abril and Gault (2008) is accurate, improvisation
might be encountered by a small constituency of secondary level students (jazz ensembles are
usually smaller than larger concert bands, choirs, or orchestras) in what occupies a small segment
of course offerings in the U.S.
The composition courses previously referenced are likely to have a similar profile.
They are rare, and when offered are probably pursued by small numbers of students. This is not
an effort to say that improvisatory musical skills and experiences are gained exclusively in
classes dedicated to them. When music composition or creative music making is offered in
secondary schools, it is usually made by the initiative of an individual music educator (Dammers,
2010, 2012). Music theory courses, for example, may play some role in conveying musical
composition skills. And perhaps improvisation skills as well. It could also be that music
appreciation courses may offer improvisatory opportunities for students despite the possible
appearance that the course content would not include it. Some instances of exposure to
improvisatory and/or composition instruction could occur in non-class settings such as extracurricular programs. Finally, improvisation and composition could be carefully woven into the
course content of the large musical ensembles that occupy most of the secondary school music
curriculum.
Creativity in school music: Summary
The previous sections present research by such authors as Webster, Moorhead,
Pond, and Hickey who indicate that creative work such as music improvisation and composition
is appropriate for young people. Even elementary school-age children. But most of the music
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instruction in U.S. schools does not directly address these things. At the primary school levels, a
focus on fundamentals and building a repository of tonal and rhythmic comprehension seems to
prevail. At the secondary school levels, curricular offerings in music tend to be primarily
performance-based ensembles. And perhaps the kind of music making that occurs in such
ensembles is satisfactory for creativity instruction. Again, Webster (1990b) states that musical
creativity is "the engagement of the mind in the active, structured process of thinking in sound
for the purpose of producing some product that is new for the creator" (Webster, 1990a). Does
this describe the music making in bands, choirs, and orchestras? Possibly. But consider also that
the revised national standards in music distinguish creativity from performance altogether (see
National art education Association, 2013). So, where performance (improvised performance
possibly being the exception) once might have sufficed as creative music making, it does not
appear that this is so readily accepted after the publication of the revised national standards.
Music composition as creativity
Literature suggests that composers integrate creative decision making within the
process of composition. Observations of musically trained adults during composition confirm
that creative decision making is a crucial component of the compositional process (Davidson &
Welsh, 1988; Gardner, 1985, 2011; Paynter, 2000; Sloboda, 1985).
Creative decision-making is also found in children when they are engaged in
music making or composition (Barker, 2003). During composition, students use various
compositional strategies demonstrating their divergent thinking. While using graphical notations,
students displayed numerous compositional strategies to increased creativity while composing.
The new national standards in music define creativity as the “capability or act of
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conceiving something original/unusual” (National Art Education Association, 2013, p. 20). What
is more original and even unusual than the types of music compositions that students might
create? This distinction leads to a higher reliance on things like improvisation and composition to
align with the creativity component in the new national standards in music. Perhaps now, more
than ever before, a greater reliance upon music composition will emerge as music educators seek
to work toward these creativity goals. Thus, a new urgency may be developing to provide
instructional pedagogies, and a variety of ways of accessing composition for both teachers and
students of all ages.
Music Composition in American Schools
Based on all sources, a credible case has been made for the importance of
composition in music education. Gamble (1984) captured many of the reasons why when he
stated:
Composition is, I believe, of central importance in music education, for it helps to
develop an insight into the very nature of music by involving students in a very intimate
way with music and directly confronting them with the problems of making or inventing
an expressive and coherent music object (i.e., a composition). In the process of
manipulating musical material, in developing, shaping and structuring musical ideas, in
forming relationships between ideas, children using imagination, intelligence and feeling.
Composing, after all, is thinking in sound (pp. 15-16).
But, how to best approach instruction of composition is a different matter.
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Distinguishing composition from improvisation
There is considerable debate over the appropriate methods used in the creation of
students’ compositional products. And one of the issues that seem to be unresolved is where
exactly improvisation stops and compositions begins. Note that Gordon initially raised the idea
of a continuum with improvisation on one side and creativity on the other. As time has marched
forward, it seems that composition has taken the place of—or become synonymous with—
creativity in the metaphorical tug-of-war. But it is obvious that a distinction is necessary to
establish pedagogical parameters.
Several studies (Burnard, 2000; Kratus, 1994b; Sloboda, 1985; Webster, 1992)
have sought to distinguish the between the creative products of improvisation and composition.
Kratus (1994b) states, "I view compositional products as fixed, replicable sequences of pitches
and durations, and compositional processes as the fluid thoughts and actions of the composer in
generating the product" (p. 116). Wiggins (1992) stated that the musical product is considered a
composition if revisions are allowed. Otherwise, the musical product could be identified as
improvisation. Wiggins (1992) defines composition as "preplanned performances" and
improvisation as "spontaneous performances" (p. 14). Sloboda (1985) speculated that the
compositional process differs in respect to the creator's intent for the product. Sloboda's basic
belief was that the improviser accepts the first musical product while the composer will create
potentially many solutions until one is deemed appropriate and satisfactory for the project.
Perhaps Webster’s (1992) version provides the critical distinction. It is the
opportunity to hear and reconfigure the music that constitutes composition. Sloboda (1985)
seems to align with this. He defines composition as a process that produces musical ideas,
applying those musical ideas, and adapting, adjusting, or varying the musical ideas until the
32
discovery of a competent solution. The instruction of composition, then, would entail
opportunities to think critically, analyze, and reconfigure a musical product.
Critical thinking/decision-making
If composing is dependent upon critical thinking, the ability to analyze music,
thoughtful consideration of appropriateness and potential alternatives, and making suitable
decisions, it is well-aligned with the aims of the cognitive domain and highly suitable for
inclusion in contemporary education. The cognitive domain is the area of learning and
development that pertains to recognition of learned material, recall of prior information, and the
development of intellectual abilities and skills (Bloom, Engelhart, Furst, Hill, & Krathwohl,
1956). Note also that Bloom’s taxonomy identifies six hierarchical levels of learning that move
from simple to complex. These include: 1) Knowledge, 2) Comprehension, 3) Application, 4)
Analysis, 5) Synthesis, and 6) Evaluation (Bloom et al., 1956). Instruction in music composition
directly involves every level. Anderson’s revised version of Bloom’s taxonomy—which consists
of: 1) Remembering, 2) Understanding, 3) Applying, 4) Analyzing, 5) Evaluating, and 6)
Creating (Anderson, Krathwohl, & Bloom, 2001)—is even more obviously aligned with the kind
of learning objectives inherent in music composition.
If any issue related to music composition instruction is not befitting of
contemporary educational settings, it may be the assessment of composition quality, and student
progress/ improvement. These things, understandably, appear difficult to measure. But research
has demonstrated that levels of proficiency in musical understanding (comprehension) and
critical thinking are often displayed in children's compositions or musical ideas (Burnard, 1999;
Davidson & Scripp, 1988; Wiggins, 1994). Gamble (1984)also found that the effective use of
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musical ideas and components is directly connected to evolving musical understanding. FreedGarrod (1999) observed students thinking in sound and demonstrating the competency to
produce and evaluate an expressive sound in a musical context. Pachet (2006b) Pachet (2006a),
Bamberger (1977), and Kratus (1994a), identified decision-making during composition. Hickey
(2001a) study demonstrates that this proficiency content can be evaluated with some reliability.
Composition: What to teach and how
Making a case for composition’s inclusion in U.S. schools is not as challenging as
it once was. But most music educators are inclined to struggle with determinations of what to
teach, as well as precisely how composition should be taught. Pre-service music educators
usually enter the music teaching profession with considerable knowledge about the various band,
choral, and/or orchestral method books that put instructional processes to print. Knowledge of
general music teaching methods is also usually high. This is not the case with methods for
teaching music composition. Teachers are then left to explore the various materials available, or
revert to their experiences learning music theory. In which case, teaching composition becomes
synonymous with teaching music theory.
There is no need to cover the plethora of possibilities as to how this may smash
student interest and motivation. But when the only possible avenue for learning things like
songwriting, recording, music production, editing, mixing, and many other facets of music that
are encountered in composition is constrained to a single line of conventional music theory—
beginning with identification of clefs, staves, key signatures, notes, rests, various other symbols,
and possibly culminating with short 4-part arrangements built upon conventional (acceptable)
chord progression charts—it is not difficult to understand why these courses make up so little of
34
the overall music curriculum in the U.S.
Half of a century has passed since the “Tanglewood Declaration” reiterated
Pestalozzian learning theory and called for increasingly higher levels of social relevance in the
music learning offered to students in U.S. schools. Byrne, MacDonald, and Carlton (2003) found
that when music composition teachers provided engaging and relevant (in the students’ view)
tasks, creative quality was better, and the perception of the overall experience was viewed as rich
and fulfilling.
Composition processes
Authors have defined the compositional process in various ways. While the
components of the process have been demonstrated in a variety of steps or stages, enough
similarities have emerged that may indicate common characteristics exist (Wiggins, 2007). Some
models show a circular or repetitive design. Others demonstrate a linear design or top-down
process that is executed only once. However, the students' creative pathways will usually
determine how they will experience the model or create variants of the compositional model.
These creative pathways or processes are often dependent on the components used in the
compositional environment (e.g., the software and hardware).
Wiggins (1993) defined the compositional process as: 1) perception of the
problem structure, 2) searching for musical form, 3) capability to perceive musical opportunities,
and 4) level of attention to the compositional task (see Figure 5). Wiggins maintains that
children's musical ideas are evaluated against a holistic viewpoint of the final product. From the
conclusion of the study, Wiggins proposed that initial decisions made during the beginning
stages of composition disclosed an understanding of how the elements of the composition would
35
function in the final product. This is a design feature. It implies the ability to consider the end
from the beginning.
Freed-Garrod (1999) study explored peer assessment of music compositions. But
a formalized composition process was found to be successful here. Third-grade students were
encouraged to collaborate on short compositions and were divided into groups to facilitate the
collaboration. The findings indicated that the students achieved improved artistic evaluation
methods. Additionally, they acquired an aesthetic awareness of the compositions through
collaboration and evaluations of the compositional product.
The compositional process Freed-Gorrod used identified these main processes: 1)
exploring (includes improvisation), 2) selecting, 3) practicing, 4) editing, 5) polishing, 6)
performing (and sharing), and 6) evaluation (see Figure 6). She maintains that the processes are
interrelated in a way that allows execution of the process steps non-sequentially. Some of the
steps in the compositional process are recursive such as the exploring step. This was observable
when the students in the group made the decision to explore various ideas during the selection
process, then the reiteration of the exploration process occurred. Freed-Garrod also indicated that
repeating the exploration process is possible if the compositional process is unsuccessful.
Berkley (2001) identified a compositional process similar to Freed-Garrod (1999).
Berkley defined the compositional process in four steps: 1) generating and identifying musical
ideas, 2) manipulating the ideas, 3) modifying existing ideas and creating new ones, and 4)
evaluating and editing the final piece as a whole (see Figure 7).
The first step is similar to step 1 and 2 in Freed-Gorrod's model. This step—
generating and identifying musical ideas—can be exploratory in nature. Especially in
investigating new musical themes and providing musical ideas. In step 2—the manipulation of
36
ideas—the student can recapitulate musical ideas or themes. During step 3, there is an
opportunity to modify or merge ideas, creating new ones. The last step allows the student to
evaluate or edit the product holistically.
Emmons (1998) observed the behaviors of his students during the creative
process. He speculated that the original observed behaviors might appear linear, but his findings
suggested that the process was nonlinear. He concluded with three emergent behaviors. They are:
1) formation, 2) preservation, and 3) revision (see Figure 8). Emmons concluded that the original
behaviors of exploration, focus, rehearsal and composition were "interdependent and comprise
one group of related behaviors: formation" (Emmons, 1998, p. 49).
Tsisserev (1997) and Savage and Challis (2002) created compositional models
from their professional composition experiences. In Tsisserev's study, the students who were
engaged in creating or composing experienced four different stages of the compositional process:
1) generating ideas, 2) developing and expanding of ideas, 3) organizing ideas, and 4) expressing
ideas (see Figure 9). Tsisserev stated that his focus was on the compositional process not the
product. His objective was to create an environment that allowed students to express themselves
creatively, without regard for refined, uniform techniques that complied with a standard.
Savage and Challis (2002)adapted a different approach to teaching music and
composition using digital technologies. This model represents a linear design that included
recursive steps in the process including: 1) starting point, 2) experiment, 3) select, 4) structure,
and 5) evaluate/revise (see Figure 10). Students focused on achieving overall task objectives
rather than learning a single task within the music software. While this approach is a different
method of instructing composition or music making, it was observed that the student will usually
learn to perform the necessary tasks within the software by experiencing various options and
37
features of the program. In the process of composing or music making, the student explored
various methods of executing functions within the software while enabling the production of
musical elements. Interfacing within this software environment, the student experienced the
process of composing music within a software program and discovered how to employ features
in the music program that aided the compositional process thus creating the compositional
product.
Davidson and Welsh (1988) noted that novice children composers used smaller
elements of music during composition and spent considerable time engaging in sound
exploration. Along the lines of similarity in compositional choices, Delorenzo’s (1989) analysis
of the compositional process of sixth graders discovered that musical problem solving was a
series of choices that disclosed the musical thought processes. The study found that children with
similar problem solving skills made similar compositional decisions. These decisions became the
framework for the music compositional process.
Composing music via technology
The presence of new technologies has imposed change in much of education and
life in general. Music technology is a relatively new field in research, especially as it intersects
music composition and musical creativity. Research by Hickey (1997), Folkestad (1996),
Webster (1998), Seddon and O’Neill (2003), and Nilsson (Nilsson, 2003; Nilsson & Folkestad,
2005) focused on the application of music technology with a an emphasis on student
compositional processes.
Nilsson and Folkestad (2005) provided an opportunity for students to compose
and produce a musical product using the computer. The results suggested that the computer
38
sequencer program provided a functionality to transfer knowledge and skill to enhance creative
musical ideas. Ruthmann (2007) suggests strategies for musical collaborations with online music
programs. Using social networks on the internet could encourage music communities to
collaborate and learn music. And Burnard (2007) research provides theoretical constructs to
consider, such as "technology as a pedagogic changeagent" (Webster, 2009, p. 426).
Pachet (2006a) study considers a new interactive computer system with some
similarity to the Korg Karma workstation (Kay, 2000). The computer developed by Sony
Computer Science Laboratories is the first reflexive system to provide a musical dialogue with
the user (Addessi, Ferrari, Carlotti, & Pachet, 2006; Addessi & Pachet, 2006). The system,
designed as an Interactive Reflexive Musical Systems (IRMSs), incorporates feedback from the
computer to the musician (Pachet, 2006b, pp. 360-361). The purpose of the IRMS is to provide
focus on the interaction process and not the musical product. The study concluded that the IRMS
provides an environment for the gradual learning of musical elements, and a lack of a standard
graphical user interface. However, the IRMS does provide the user with the opportunity to focus
on creativity without the interruption of the technology.
Remaining Review Sections
Having narrowed the various issues of music creativity down to composition,
composition processes for instruction, and the role that technology plays in the process of
learning and composing, this review concludes with a presentation of nonlinear music
composition, its various facets and features, linear music compositions, and the ways these things
are perceived not only by composers and teachers, but also by listeners. This component is
situated last in the review as it serves as a type of synthesis of previous literatures. The nonlinear
39
composition software enables nonlinear composition techniques. It is critical to establish what
nonlinear music is, the ways it might be composed, and how it is perceived by listeners.
Linear and Nonlinear Music: Including the Listener’s Perspective
An easily overlooked—but nevertheless critical—distinction that heavily
influences the interpretation of literature’s import in the context of this paper pertains to the
supposed beholder/ perceiver/end user. To illustrate the need for this section, consider the section
on compositional processes that has just been presented. Perhaps some interesting step-wise
aspects of musical composition instruction was included. No doubt the value of that material
stands to be substantively augmented or diminished based on the primary user/beneficiary of the
aspect in question. This is the root of the so what question that is implicitly begged of the
components of literature reviews. What is the value of such and such piece of information? The
answer, in this context, depends heavily on the eyes through with the issue is being examined.
In the hypothetical music composition processes reference above, several
perspectives can be adopted. Consider first the obvious creator/composer perspective. The
compositional tactic or process may carry tremendous value as a bona fide technique for
generating a certain sound or effect. From the teaching/learning perspective however, the same
technique carries different implications. A teacher is faced with questions. Is the manner in
which some composer/ researcher generated this sound or effect the optimal way to teach it?
Does this offer the most seamless utilization of the computer software? Does the student
understand what he/she is doing? Finally, consider the view of the end-user. That is, the listener
who experiences a composition. From this perspective, many of the compositional processes, as
well as any teaching/learning considerations, are not even perceived much less contemplated.
40
This toggling between the multiple perspectives has been infrequent throughout the
literature section thus far. Heretofore the view of the composer, teacher, and possibly the
researcher at times, has been front and center. But the view of the listener is equally important.
Especially as it pertains to what is called nonlinear music.
Nonlinear musical compositions: Background
Nonlinear compositional methods can be traced as far back as the late 18th
century when Mozart initially explored this concept (Hedges, 1978). In 1792, Mozart conceived
of a nonlinear compositional method driven by selecting random numbers. Musikalisches
Würfelspiel (Musical Dice Game) was an example of a nonlinear composition. It was created by
random dice throws (nonlinear) and performed linearity (Mozart, 1792). Kramer describes
Musikalisches Wurfelspiel as a nonlinear minuet observing that "the generation of each event [is]
independent of all others" (Kramer, 1981, p. 554).
The beginning of the 20th century was "a time of enormously accelerated stylistic
innovation, accompanied by an enormous expansion of technical resources" (Taruskin, 2009, pp.
1-2). This creative environment liberated composers from various musical structures while
providing an opportunity for experimentation.
Composers of the 20th century viewed nonlinearity as a structural
experimentation of compositional techniques birthed outside of traditional linear composition
methods (Kramer & Carl, 2016). Their explorations redefined musical composition by expanding
the constructs of the linear composition definition beyond traditional music. The composers'
perceptions of nonlinear composition were not a moment of achievement, but one of exploration,
great struggle, and discovery.
41
The construction of nonlinear music uses differential memory relationships to
provide connect points for the listener (Snyder, 2000). While nonlinear music lacks linear
progressions and hierarchical order, the composer is liberated to exploit similar components
displaced at various times to provide for the listener a point of connection or reference to the
piece. The resulting structure would resemble more of an interconnected network instead of a
series of events in a linear sequence.
Dunn (2008) stated that nonlinear music is a reflection of a complex process. For
the musician, that process is dependent on unique methods that enable the production of a
nonlinear composition. While the structure of a musical composition is determined by the
construction of its components, the product reflects the fabrication and assimilation of thought
processes engaged in the experiences of the composer's expression. As the creation of music
transforms from linear to nonlinear form, the techniques required to compose nonlinear
compositions will increase in complexity.
A number of available techniques have provided various sources for composers
applying experimental techniques to the nonlinear composition. These techniques include
automatism, probability, chance, and algorithms (James, 2009). While these techniques were
applied in a number of compositions, their usefulness has been restrictive due to complexity
during application. Composers who examined these techniques did so as experiments to explore
alternate methods of composing in a nonlinear manner.
Aleatoric (or aleatory) music was an example of one such alternate method
(Brindle & Brindle, 1975). As one of the more controversial developments of contemporary
music, aleatory music introduced procedures of chance not only during the composition, but
during the performance processes as well (Hoogerwerf, 1976). Aleatory music (Lat. Alea
42
meaning dice game) allowed the composer the freedom to create music using randomly selected
musical elements. Within the framework of composition, elements such as pitch, duration, and
dynamics were the subject of a draw of a playing card, dice throws, or a coin toss. Other
randomizing methods were employed by the composer for the creation and realization of his/her
work.
With the aid of the computer, mathematical laws of chance or algorithms were
employed as the random source for composition. Computers can be programmed to generate a
random number within a specified range while using that number in a decision making processes
(Kostka, 2016). For example, Iannis Xenakis used a mathematical formula written in FORTRAN
—a computer programming language well-suited to numerical computations--to provide the
probability numerical input to his piece “Metatasis.”
To bring about the chance element in performance, the composer may leave
certain musical elements or phrases at the discretion of the performer by approximating rather
than providing precise notation. This gives the performer a greater role in selecting the various
sections of the work to be performed. Some examples of aleatory works are John Cage’s “Music
of Changes” for piano, “Concert for Piano and Orchestra” and Karlheinz Stockhausen’s
“Klavierstuck X1” (DiMartino, 2016; Henderson & Stacey, 2014).
Aleatory as compositional rebellion
Other composers pursued nonlinear compositions as an alternative to the existing
linear structure. Igor Stravinsky's "Symphonies of Wind Instruments" was an earlier example of
a multi-sectional nonlinear piece. This piece was a deviant composition from his typical structure
that brought a temporary change to his exploration of experimentation (Snyder, 2000).
43
Stravinsky went beyond static models to develop a technique for composing contemporary
pieces in nonlinear time (Kramer, 1986). Another early example of a nonlinear section is "Jardin
du Sommeil d'Amour," the sixth movement of Olivier Messiaen's Turanglila Symphonie.
Philip Glass wrote a nonlinear piece in his "Philip Glass: Music in 12 Parts." Part
1 in his composition is described as a nonlinear piece. Riley's "In C," is a departure from a linear
model and exemplifies a non-linear composed piece (Carl, 2009; Johnson, 1994). Some
additional composers who had successful ventures into nonlinear composition methods during
this era were Mahler, Ives, and Debussy (Vickery, 2011).
Evolutionary music
Evolutionary music is music that is subject to external input or variations
including interaction with a musician or performer (Brown, 2002). While it involves feedback
from a source that will change to the current state from a previous state, it is not restricted to
traditional compositional methods. In the late 1990s, electronic music began to shift from linear
to nonlinear composition. The musical styles of electronic dance, pop, and video game music
were responsible for this transfer (Brown, 2002). Electronic dance music such as techno, and pop
music, were considered an alternative to traditional music and constructed using nonlinear
composition methods (Campbell, 2014). Due to the construction or format of video games,
nonlinear composition became the predominate method of scoring electronic video game music.
Music for video games
A scene of a video game evolves without strict adherence to a time frame or limit
for a conclusion. It is, therefore, difficult to compose video game soundtrack linearly. Music
44
composed for this environment must be scored in a way that is dependent on the interactions of
the external input or video game player. The composer's reliance on nonlinear and nontraditional
compositional techniques to score the soundtrack becomes crucial for a successful and cohesive
score for each scene in the video game (Rowe, 2001).
Choices made by the player serve as direction or control in the compositional
processes for the score or soundtrack. The extensive use of nonlinear musical components
empowers the composer with additional tools to arrange the music for each scene of the game.
Components, such as loops, stingers, and one-shots, construct a bridge between the inactive and
active scenes in the video game. Choices to be made by the player—who moves through each
level of the game—are tracked, presenting the composer with the data and input to arrange the
score for each scene in the game. The musical decisions made by the captured input from the
player, are coded and programmed into the source code for the video game (Collins, 2008;
Phillips, 2014).
The framework used in algorithmic or generative music transforms abstract rules
to sounds creating a computational dataflow (Mazurowski, 2012, 2015; Thalmann & Mazzola,
2008). The synthesis, creation, or the composition of music that is based on this type of variable
framework is referred to as algorithmic or generative music (Wakefield, 2007). This is not a new
means of generating music. Algorithms have been implemented in music as far back as the
1950s, with composers such as Xenakis, Ligeti, and Hiller (Boenn, Brain, De Vos, & Ffitch,
2011; Edwards, 2011; Mazurowski, 2015; Simoni, 2003).
The computer is capable of modeling any process, and will therefore perform the
instructions based on the framework built or created by the composer or programmer (de la
Puente, Alfonso, & Moreno, 2002; Nierhaus, 2009). The generation of sound by this process is
45
open to the development of explicit process models as they are applied to algorithmic or
generative music composition (Polfreman, Loomes, & Wright, 2003).
Using the approach of evolutionary music composition, music can be composed
by interactive evolution (Tokui & Iba, 2000), linguistic approach (García Salas, Gelbukh, &
Calvo, 2010), spectral modeling (Barroso & Pérez, 2007), harmony search algorithms (Geem &
Choi, 2007), and interactive evolutionary computation (Tokui & Iba, 2000). The process model
for each composition method differs by the chosen technology utilized, and by the variance of
the framework used within each algorithm. However, the driving mechanism of each process
model is the final algorithm that is programmed from the framework of the initial design.
Creating artificial composition systems that can successfully achieve a
compositional product is contingent on the construction of a musical knowledge database or
musical information database that can be utilized within an algorithmic framework. The musical
knowledge or musical information database must be constructed as a library of components
accessible by the algorithmic framework that is activated by an external stimulus (i.e. the player).
From this concept, the musical information accessed by the algorithm will be used in the creation
of a music element and the final construction of the compositional product (Bown, Eldridge, &
McCormack, 2009; Husbands, Copley, Eldridge, & Mandelis, 2007).
The compositional product is not a creation from a void or vacuum, but from our
accumulated experiences, our reactions with culturally relevant structures, and the opportunity of
expressing an intrinsic desire to create music (Todd & Werner, 1999). It is the relationship
between the composer, whether human or computer, and the compositional product, which must
be developed through a progression of evolutionary processes, that the compositional product is
conceived, produced, and shared with others.
46
However, the dichotomy between the duality of systems is simply this; the human
composer can evaluate their product to determine the potentiality of a successful composition,
while the computer is without an internal evaluation mechanism (Eldridge, 2005). While we
create music, we can therefore evaluate our music composition progress and the final product.
The computer, through evolutionary algorithms, which are heuristic techniques for solving multilevel musical complexes, will need a supporting evaluation structure to define a computer
created compositional product (Drezewski & Tomecki, 2011).
Max/MSP – Programming software to modify music
The Max programming language has its origins in Paris at the Institute de
Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique in 1986 (Blum, 2007, p. 18). It was an original
design of Miller Puckette to control IRCAM’s 4X synthesizer. The language’s main advantage
is its ability to directory access the audio hardware within the computer. With the updated and
more powerful versions of the language, it provides the composer the ability to develop musical
ideas and pursue interactive composition (Winkler, 2001, p. 49).
Max is a visual programming language that will allow the user to write modules
to modify or create audio sound. With advances made in electronic music compositional
software, the introduction of music software programming is another pathway of evolution for
electro-acoustic /electronic music experimentation, creation, or composition. As a programming
language Max/MSP is different from other programming languages due to its unique graphical
interface (Manzo, 2016, p. 2). Max is a high level graphical programming language written in C
that uses a graphical rectangle or boxes to represent a basic unit of functionality within the
program. The simplicity of this approach gives the musician the opportunity to graphically view
47
the structural progress achieved, while participating in the interaction of the program and the
aural evaluation of the musical composition.
The listener and nonlinear music
From the previous sections it becomes obvious that nonlinear music describes a
type of music that is not organized in a traditional framework to which listeners are frequently
exposed. Composers are autonomous in their pursuit of defining musical parameters that achieve
the artistic objective(s) while providing structure for the compositional product. For example,
compositions by avant-garde composers are often framed in nonlinear forms or structures. In
fact, avant-garde music has come to be almost ubiquitously associated with capricious changes
of mood/style (Kamien, 1984). Why would composers do this? Well, probably not out of
consideration for the listener. There is most likely something about the selected structure of the
music that the composer finds favorable or appealing.
Trained musicians are likely to be associated with this type of composer-centric
compositional technique (preference) when considering serialism. Serialism relies on a group of
ordered elements (e.g., pitches, rhythms, tone color, dynamics, etc.) to formulate musical
compositions. But the complex relationships are often difficult to perceive merely by listening.
The actual sound of such music may seem chaotic or random (Kamien, 1984).
The listening experience to such music can be unusual. .Kramer (1988) stated that
nonlinear music could induce in a listener a truly extended present while disassociating elements
of the past and the future. To the listener, nonlinear music can be more surreal, timeless, and
holistic (Rose, 2014). To the composer, creating events in a score that resist the forward
progression of music, enabled the composer to frame the composition in nonlinearity (Almen &
48
Pearsall, 2006; Kramer, 1988; Meelberg, 2006).
Referencing such compositional genres as avant-garde or serialism may overly
implicate a highly intellectual approach to composition, as well as refined technique. In the
previous sections, aleatoric (chance) music and evolutionary music are introduced to illuminate
some non- traditional aspects of nonlinear music and composition. Minimalist music could easily
be added. The danger is elevation by association. That is, each of these musical areas is a
developed style. This is not to suggest that by utilizing nonlinear composition software, or even
composing music in an atypical manner, somehow automatically comports to one of these styles,
genres, or techniques. Nor should this possibility be discounted. Some student and amateur
composers may, indeed, carefully craft their musical compositions in line with the tenets of any
of these styles.
Linear/traditional musical content
The term “traditional” has been used several times in this document to reference
typical, common, or seemingly ubiquitous elements of musical form and structure. With regard
to Western culture, we can apply the terms linear music or linear music model to traditional
music. The terms become synonymous within the four corners of this document.
Linear music is time-based or sequential and thus the listening experience entails
successive events while listening to a composition (Kramer, 2015). Copland (1939) proposed
that music must contain a beginning, middle, and an end. Copland’s assertion was reflective of
prevailing thought about musical form and interconnectedness in Western cultures. Seeger
(1977) stated that our history of European music clearly demonstrates that our conventional
music writing is predominantly linear. He argues that it is the responsibility of the composer to
49
guide the listener through the music and provide the listener with a reference point of the current
event within the timeline of the music. From this premise, linear music exists within a temporal
continuum created by sequential events (van Elferen & Weinstock, 2015). These sequential
events are crucial to the listener because they aid in moving or guiding them through the music.
Perception of music in linear terms
Without regard for the compositional style, genre, or technique used to compose
or create the music, the listener will always perceive the musical product in a linear manner in a
real-time hearing of it. Music is time-based. It is inconsequential to the listener how the music is
structured. It will be perceived as linear (Collins, Hawkins, & Burns, 2013; Kramer, 1988).
For some listeners the separation of a linear conception or expectation and one
that is nonlinear is impossible (Kramer, 1988). The creative design used to frame the
composition will dictate the musical structure the composer chooses for the compositional
product. Although the composer will create or compose the music nonlinearly, the performance
of the score will be in a linear timeline. Because of the automatic tendency to cast our
conceptions of music’s form in a linear manner, subsequent references to the musical product
that focus on the listener imply a real-time hearing of the music. The opposite is also true.
Discussion of the compositional technique or process implies a view of the music privileged to
the composer and possibly the teacher.
Music in the memory
A listener's aural skills consist of both linear and nonlinear capabilities. While the
listening process will function as a linear activity, the memory of the music is a nonlinear
50
operation (Kramer, 1988; Kramer, 2015). These two concurrent tasks (linear process and
nonlinear operation) are simultaneously in operation during the listening experience. Perhaps the
most obvious reference would be the re-introduction of a musical motif that was heard earlier in
the piece. But it is the real-time hearing of that motif (again) that conjures the memory. We can
easily see a nonlinear application of this in consideration of a mental recall of music one just
experienced. Perhaps a catchy motif or lyric comes to mind. This could be followed by the recall
of another memorable aspect. Those memories need not occur in a linear manner.
Implications of composition and improvisation in K-12 in education
In viewing the landscape of opportunities for educators to introduce music
software into the primary and secondary school system, to be sure there is a plethora of options
available that did not exist a decade ago. The innovation of music software offers music
educators the ability to participate in creation and music making activities while providing the
students with interactive response and the ability to change or modify musical elements that will
sound musically pleasing. While the choices are varied there is support for using music software
in music education (Dammers, 2010; Nielsen, 2013; Rosen, Schmidt, & Kim, 2013).
While the introduction and the installation of music software in the K-12 classes
are usually guided by the teacher/facilitator, it is of course the students who will be engaged in
exploring the various options within the program. Children have a propensity of sound
exploration (Green, 2008; Pond, 1981). And as they explore the sounds within the program it
provides them with feeling of accomplishment and great enthusiasm (Bahman & Maffini, 2008,
p. 70; Elliot, 2009, p. 86). The interaction of the student with the music software encourages
examination of sonic possibilities while inspiring them to participate in creative and exploratory
51
endeavors (Elliot, 2009, p. 52). Educators usually play an important role in offering resources
and guidance in establishing an environment for the development of skill sets for the student
composer (Kaschub, Smith, & Reimer, 2009, p. 49). The use of music software is indeed central
to the growth of the student in their expression of music creativity and in the development of
musicality skills.
In providing opportunities for exploration in a music software class, templates are
provided for the educator to employ within the classroom. In appendix 1 of this paper, five
Ableton Live templates are supplied for primary school educators to share with their students.
They are simple in operation and provide a beginning skill level to encourage sound exploration
and engagement in music software technology. Instructions are provided with each template in
the form of a PDF. They are representative of some of the types of sounds usually found in a
music software environment. The application and exploration of the templates will encourage
creative exploration and critical thinking.
Review Summary
If this entire review was to be summarized in only a short amount of page-space it
would go something like – the reader is made aware that capacities like creativity and intuition:
1) are present in everyone, 2) are fostered, shaped, and informed by aspects of personality,
thinking and learning styles/preferences, and 3) are important for the function of the individual.
Naturally these capacities exist wherever people act or carry out their daily lives. They are also
prevalent in various domains such as music and art.
There is reason to believe that musical creativity, in the form of music
composition, can be developed. Even from early ages. Therefore, it has a place in educational
52
settings. The search for best instructional practices is ongoing and probably dependent upon a
number of student and environmental factors. But process-based approaches have been
successful. However, flexibility is critical. A one-dimensional, music theory (based on Western
Art Music) approach to music composition is likely to limit access to learning opportunities, and
possibly fall outside the area of interest of student composers. So the embrace of flexibility must
occur not only in musical content (what music is learned, and composed) but also in instructional
design and pedagogy (how music is learned and composed). And this opens the typical student
composition experience to include nonlinear musical composition and the myriad ways students
may choose to go about creating it.
This paper is truly about access and expansion of music composition methods. It
will remain as a subject that is open for greater discussion. Wiggins states that, "[all] people are
capable of inventing musical ideas" (Wiggins, 2007, p. 465). Indeed, it is these ideas that morph
into memorable themes, especially when created by students. However, Berkley (2001)
maintains that not all students can compose music. She proposes that compositional instruction
requires development of the requisite cognitive and fine motor skills of the different processes
and stages of composition (Berkley, 2001). Berkley's definition of the word compose implies
traditional methods of composition. Yet in defense of Berkley's viewpoint, several skill sets are
required to complete the assignment in her study. The conclusion is inevitable. If students do not
have these skill sets, they simply cannot complete those assignments.
Not all students are inclined to pursue traditional methods of composition.
However, students may have a desire to create music for personal enjoyment or personal
efficacy. Opportunities to engage in creating music, music making, or composing should be
available for them to the extent possible, although their methods may not align with traditional
53
techniques used to compose.
54
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Appendix
Listed below is the link for the Ableton templates mentioned previously in the paper.
These templates are for primary school students. They represent a starting point of sound
exploration. The instructions for the templates are listed below and are listed in the download
file.
Ableton version 10 is required to operate these templates.
https://www.dropbox.com/l/scl/AABQqODicq10v4oQ1PhLT7MXY5cAKCsOfb8
70
Eight-Note Delay
The eighth-note delay is an audio delay based upon an eighth-note. The delay module
requires some type of sound as a source for the production of the delay sound.
The template is set up to receive MIDI in from a piano keyboard, or from the typewriter
keyboard. The keys on the row of A through L are represented as the white keys on the piano.
By pressing a key (MIDI or letter), a MIDI signal is sent from the keyboard to the piano
causing the piano to play. The piano sound is routed to the delay unit for processing. A graphic
of the flow of the process follows.
Piano Keyboard
or
Typewrit er
Keyboard
Piano
Delay
Delay Signal Flow
71
Sound
The view of the screen with the Grand Piano Instrument and the Eight-Note Delay
The piano instrument and the Delay Module
72
Eighth-Note Delay Module
Before you start:
The eighth-note delay is simple to use but has some very advanced features. A list of
avenues to explore is listed below. To reverse any of the actions you did while you are
exploring, execute an undo (Cntl+Z). To begin, make sure the computer MIDI keyboard is on.
Press the record button to arm the track. Then press a key A-L on your typewriter keyboard.
Things to try:
1. Change the delay on the left (top) note to 16 while you are exploring. Each of the numbered
squares represents a delay time in 16th notes.
2. To hear the piano only, turn the dry/wet knob to 0.0%. Then gradually increase it to 80%
to merge the two sounds.
3. Try to change the sound of the piano by moving the Reverb to 80% and changing the tone to
85%.
73
AutoFilter
The AutoFilter is a passive equalizer that is configured to sweep across the audio sound
spectrum. It requires a sound source which can be a sampled sound or recorded music.
The template contains three samples. One is a female vocal singing, “Well, well, well.”
The next sample is a male voice saying, “A revolution in music.” The third sample is a short
audio clip of electronic music. There are triangles located on each graphic clip of the audio
sample. To start the audio clip, press the triangle located on the clip. A graphical representation
of the function of the AutoFilter process follows.
Audio
Aut oFilt er
AutoFilter Signal Flow
74
Sound
The view of the screen with the three samples and the AutoFilter
Close-up of the AutoFilter
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Before you start:
A list of things to try is listed below. Press play on one of the three samples before you
start to explore the AutoFilter. To reverse any of the actions you did while you are exploring,
execute an undo (Cntl+Z). Press the record button to arm the track and record your own sample.
Things to try:
1. Change the Freq dial right below Filter. The filter will sweep across the audio band,
from low to high frequency.
2. Another way to do this is to click on the orange circle in the view screen. You can move
it left and right to show the effects of engaging the filter.
Close-up of AutoFilter with Spin engaged
3. The Spin knob starts an LFO stutter effect with the sound source that is leaving the filter.
4. Change the Spin knob to achieve various sounds.
5. Change the LFO Amount knob to change the sound.
6. The Rate knob can be changed to achieve the stutter effect.
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Flanger Effect
The Flanger is an audio effect that gives the sound source a metallic sound. It creates a
cyclically varying phase shift to the original sound. It is necessary to use a sound source as
input, which can be a sampled or recorded sound.
The template contains three samples. One is a female vocal singing, “Ho.” The second
clip is a female voice saying, “Hey.” The last sample is a male voice saying, “A revolution in
music.” There are triangles located on each graphic clip of audio samples. To start the audio
clip, press the triangle located on the clip. A graphical representative of the function of the
Flanger process follows.
Audio
Flanger
Flanger Signal Flow
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Sound
The view of the screen with the three samples and the Flanger
Close-up of the Flanger
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Before you start:
Press play on one of the three samples before you start to explore the Flanger. To reverse
any of the actions you did while you are exploring, execute an undo (Cntl+Z). Press the record
button to arm the track and record your own sample.
Things to try:
1. Click on the orange circle in the view screen. You can move it left and right to show the
effects of the filter.
2. Change the Hi Pass dial while the filter is engaged.
3. For a maximum effect of the Flanger, place the circle in the top right corner.
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Reverb Effect
The Reverb module is an audio effect that gives the sound dept as if it is in a hall or large
space. It creates space around the sound source and causes the original source to sound large or
full. It requires a sound source as input, which can be a recorded or sampled sound.
The template contains one sample of a female vocal saying, “Hey.” There is a triangle
located on graphic clip of audio sample. To start the audio clip, press the triangle located on the
clip. A graphical representative of the Reverb process follows.
Audio
Reverb
Reverb Signal Flow
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Sound
The view of the screen with one samples and the Reverb module
Close-up of the Reverb module
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Before you start:
Press play on the sample before you start to explore the Reverb module. To reverse any
of the actions you did while you are exploring, execute an undo (Cntl+Z). Press the record
button to arm the track and record your own sample.
Things to try:
1. Change the Dry/Wet knob to demonstrate the difference with Reverb and without it.
2. Click on Chorus button. Click on the orange circle in the Chorus display. You can
move it left and right to show the chorus effects.
3. Change the Decay Time dial while the Reverb is engaged. It will change the time and
echo effect of the reverb.
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Vocoder Effect
The vocoder module is an audio effect that sounds similar to synthesized audio. It is
often used to create robotic sounds or voices. It requires a sound source as input, which can be a
sampled or recorded sound.
The template contains one sample of a male vocal saying, “OK.” There is a triangle
located on graphic clip of audio sample. To start the audio clip, press the triangle located on the
clip. A graphical representative of the Vocoder process follows.
Audio
Vocoder
Vocoder Signal Flow
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Sound
The view of the screen with one samples and the Vocoder module
Close-up of the Vocoder module
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Before you start:
Press play button on the sample clip before you start to explore the Vocoder module. To
reverse any of the actions you did while you are exploring, execute an undo (Cntl+Z). Press the
record button to arm the track and record your own sample.
Things to try:
1. Change the Dry/Wet knob to demonstrate the difference with Vocoder and without it.
2. Change the Depth knob. You can hear the variations in the sound.
3. Change the Formant knob. It will change the pitch of the sound.
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PAPER 2
Using music software in the compositional process: A case study of electronic music
composition
Links for the paper 2
The original paper is on Journal of Music, Technology, and Education, website.
The original paper weblink:
https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/intellect/jmte/2013/00000005/00000003/art00003
A secondary link is provided if the first one is unsuccessful:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/jmte.5.3.257_1
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