Beginning Band without a Stand: Fostering Creative Musicianship in Early Instrumental Programs

Abstract

Approaches to teaching music notation and instrumental technique have been standardized and codified in the United States with great success in beginning instrumental programs. While these skills are important, we do a disservice to students if we do not equally develop comprehensive musicianship and creative thinking at a young age. Creating music is one of the four “Artistic Processes” that guide our instruction in the new National Core Arts Standards framework. It is also a process that many instrumental music teachers struggle to implement, especially in early stages of instruction when note-reading and technique seem to be the highest priority. Drawing on examples from an elementary school band program that shifted away from music notation in the rehearsal room and group lesson space, I examine how instrumental music teachers can move students beyond the music stand into a deeper and more creative understanding of the elements of music.

A Study of Music Curriculum Design Strategies in the Context of Core Literacy——A Qualitative Study Based on Grounded Theory

“…The teaching of music notation and instrumental technique has been standardized in American schools, and curricula for instrumental performance have been highly successful. However, Clauhs (2018) states that while these instrumental skills are important, failure to develop well-rounded musical talents and creative thinking can undermine students' longevity in the music curriculum.…”

Exploratory and Creative Practices in Undergraduate Brass Techniques Coursework

“…When used exclusively in the music classroom without creativity-based activities, method books emphasize sight-before-sound notation and a correct way to make music that rarely includes space for individual differences and creative play (Clauhs, 2018; Duke & Byo, 2012). In addition, many beginning band method books focus on fingerings, correct rhythms, and performance uniformity.…”

“…The incorporation of these activities in techniques courses can provide a pedagogical structure for music-making outside of the method book. In addition, although several music educators have provided models for incorporating creative activities into beginning instrument instruction (Beitler & Thornton, 2010; Clauhs, 2018; Hickey, 1997), PMEs may be reluctant to incorporate these practices into their classrooms, as they replicate their own previous experiences without them (Haston & Leon-Guerrero, 2008). The brass techniques course is well suited for the incorporation of approximations of these practices, as the inclusion of creativity-based activities provides an outlet for PMEs’ existing musicianship situated within new instrument instruction and models pedagogical practices for their future students.…”

“…Creative imitation can start in the very first lesson and can become more complex as PMEs gain technical facility. As a teaching strategy, these sound-before-sight principles provide PMEs with an approach to working with their students who have limited music reading skills to address more advanced concepts of complex rhythm and articulation that may exceed their visual music literacy (Clauhs, 2018). Call-and-response techniques allow the teacher to model pitch, articulation, timbre, pulse, and rhythm for students.…”

“…Criteria-based improvisation provides another structured way with which PMEs can experience strategies for using improvisation. The criteria provide guidance for improvisation and can be built around functional purposes (e.g., create a short idea that expresses a specific mood) or structural elements (e.g., perform a short improvisation that includes the specific riffs; Clauhs, 2018). These approaches pair well with concept-based instruction from method books and concert literature, as the criteria can be derived from programmed repertoire such as specific rhythm patterns, pitch sequences, or structural elements.…”