Despite abundant academic literature on teaching music composition in K-12 settings, little has been published on teaching composition in higher education. There are few venues for sharing such research, and degree programs generally offer little to no training in composition pedagogy. In sharp contrast, a music theory pedagogy journal has existed since 1987, a biennial conference first met in 2017, and most graduate programs in music theory include at least one theory pedagogy course. Most of us who teach composition teach the way we were taught and figure out the rest as we go.
That gap is what my current research is about. This year I launched a national study on how composition private lessons are taught in higher education, supported by a University of Utah Faculty Small Grant. You can read about the study’s background and methods on my Research page. It builds on a regional pilot study I ran in 2024, which combined a survey, interviews, and observations of classes and lessons. What I learned from the pilot led me to narrow my focus to private lessons.
The study begins with three surveys:
- one for current and past composition private lesson teachers
- one for current and past private lesson students
- one on the creative process, open to anyone who identifies as a composer
Survey participants can opt in to a follow-up interview, and some of those conversations lead to observing a lesson.
Interviews are underway, and I’m already finding the conversations fascinating. Teachers have been generous about sharing what works for them, what doesn’t, and how their approach has changed over the years. I’m also presenting early work from the pilot data this November, including at the College Music Society national conference in Grand Rapids—more on that soon!
The surveys will be open throughout the fall. If you are a composer, or if you teach or have taken composition lessons, I would love to hear from you. And if you are willing, sharing the surveys with colleagues and students who might be interested is also a real help to the project.
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