Teaching composing in secondary schools: the creative dream

Composing is an obligatory activity at Key Stage 3 in the present National Curriculum in music for England and for Wales. The research programme, based on field visits, seminars and questionnaires, seeks to identify a basis for effective classroom practice through direct observation of experienced teachers and their pupils in twenty-six State secondary schools across England. Visits have also been made to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Group-work is the dominant working method in most secondary schools. Much time is at present wasted in group-work and it contributes significantly to stress in both teachers and pupils. Composing is largely an individual activity and this is insufficiently acknowledged or planned for at Key Stage 3. Too many teachers use methods inappropriate to the resources available to them. There are problems of progression and preservation of pupils' work. Despite these problems there is strong evidence that many children enjoy composing activities in school and compose music in and out of school for a variety of reasons and occasions. Composing is firmly established in our music education curriculum and provides a unique feature of practice in the United Kingdom. When composing is taught well, pupils look forward to their music lessons in the secondary school and approve of and enjoy composing activities.