By Christin Cooper
Recently, one of my group piano students proclaimed to the class: “I’m an artist. Everyone in my family is an artist – my dad, my mom, my brother, and me.” What struck me more than what she said was the pride with which she said it. I was reminded of the remarkable ability children have to remind us about the playfulness of creativity and the power of imagination.
Meaningful Contribution
Creative activities are so central to our group class curriculum because they provide an outlet for each child to contribute meaningfully. Students engaged in creative activities are operating from a place of engagement and ownership; their participation is active, not passive. One of the best ways to encourage creativity at this age is through improvisation. In Studio Keys, students improvise on the black keys using the pentatonic scale. Students (and teachers!) feel safe to express themselves within this structure as there is no fear of “wrong notes.” In Studio Singers, students are invited to improvise creative movement in response to music or as a representation of musical ideas. In this way, improvisation gives students an opportunity to express themselves joyfully as individuals.
Skill Mastery + Effective Practicing
Creative activities also provide a crucial opportunity for students to demonstrate mastery and learn effective practice strategies. Teachers can make informal assessments of students’ learning through the practice of variations. For example, students can show that they understand various tempi by playing a known song at allegro, adagio, and andante. They can demonstrate further understanding by varying the dynamics, register, key, mode, or articulation.
As students engage in creative ways to vary their pieces, they are also developing the discipline for repetition. Meaningful repetition is a foundational practice skill that facilitates both creative ideation as well as the mastery of new material. Sharing your ideas with your classmates in a group class makes this kind of repetition even more fun!
Composition
When students become confident in their ability to both express themselves and master musical skills, they are ready to take the next step of composing. As soon as students learn a few introductory chords in Studio Ukes class, they are invited to create their own chord progressions and songs. We love to hear music that students come up with themselves, and they love to share it! This is part of what makes group classes so ideal for young children. Our community-centered approach encourages self expression and camaraderie alongside the pursuit of learning new skills. You can learn more about our group class offerings here!