Refining and Expanding Music Composition Pedagogies

Abstract

Abstract This chapter offers bases for music composition pedagogy. Historical and more recent writings are surveyed in music composition pedagogy that are both conceptual and practical in nature. Ideas within music teaching philosophy, learning theory, and methodology are considered in building a pedagogy that recognizes the importance of blending knowledge and skills with creative affordance. Teachers of elementary and secondary education are the focus, however much of the content holds enormous significance for higher education, especially in terms of teaching preparation. The topic is considered within the context of contemporary scholarship about how best to teach music to others in the twenty-first century.