The craft of composition: Helping children create music with computer tools.
Rena B. Upitis · Psychomusicology Music Mind and Brain · 1989
Queen's University This paper explores ways in which children can develop the craft of music composition using computer tools along with more traditional music making instruments. Some features of good music making tools are discussed, including flexibility of use and aesthetic appeal. This discussion is followed by examples of children's work where such issues as comparing children's invented notations with notations used by computer software are explored. Some ways in which a child may begin to see himself or herself as a composer are discussed. Finally , possibilities are suggested for using computers, e.g., the Macintosh and Hyper Card, for both teaching and conducting research in the area of children's compo sition. Despite the fact that many writers of scholarly work, contemporary composers ofmusic, and others involved in creative pursuits, now practice their craft with the aid of personal computers, few children do the same. This is not surprising. Historically, technology in education emerges at the so-called higher institutions of learning, and slowly trickles down to secondary and elementary schools. With the availability and comparatively low cost ofmicrocomputers, however, in a few cases the trickle is becoming a stream. Therefore, it is critical that researchers and teachers think hard about how best to channel the new resources. I believe that the most powerful software and hardware in music education allows children and adults to manipulate music sounds and forms, learning something about the craft of music composition through the creation of an original work. I do not wish to engage in a debate about the relative value of other types of software. While I acknowledge that software relating to music theory, ear training, sight reading, and the like, can be valuable, my experience convinces me that the benefits to be gained from using these types of software pale in comparison to the possibilities of using computer hardware and software as creative tools. In this paper I will explore a few ways of using such tools with children. One of the assumptions I make in this paper is that children are natural composers, and that the computer can provide new ways for children to engage in composition. As Davies puts it: