STAFF MEMO

Date: April 2003
FROM: Krystal Prime Banfield, Director of Education
RE: Reflections and Updates on Composers Suitcase™

Shackled by limited resources and the need to meet federal and state requirements for elementary music education, many educators have developed quick-fix solutions for teaching music - programs that teach a few compositional nuts and bolts, but often overlook the inspiration, joy, and creativity at the heart of making music. Though these methods have merits, they fail to address the importance of culture, communication, and expression.

History has shown us that creative artists are thinkers and imaginers, and have often used music as a means of personal reflection and expression. They communicate with their hearts and minds. Children need music education that, in addition to teaching technical fundamentals, encourages them to develop ideas, embrace inspirations, and express themselves.

Can we teach musical creativity? Perhaps not in the way we teach students what a staff or a time signature is, but we do have the power to create environments and activities that allow students to explore cultures, sounds, and most importantly, their own ideas. And we can build educational environments where students are encouraged to create and refine their own ideas, and where their self-expression is valued.

What would such a program look like? That question is exactly what we are exploring with Composers Suitcase - the Forum's elementary music education program, which is currently being tested and refined in Whittier, Calif., schools.

Over my career, I have been privileged to observe, study, and collaborate with many outstanding composers, improvisers, and other creative artists. These experiences have allowed me to witness first hand the ways different artists communicate, develop work, and create their own personal forms of expression. Though these artists all have unique creative processes, they all draw on inspiration from the world around them as much (if not more) than they do on technique. They don't create in an artistic vacuum, and we shouldn't teach music in an artistic vacuum. These artists and experiences have been the guide and inspiration for developing Suitcase.

Suitcase uses an interdisciplinary approach, encouraging classroom teachers to connect music and creativity with the rest of their curriculum. For students, it encourages an exploration of music, the people who make it, and the joy of making it. Each unit explores the music of a different culture using a colorful suitcase filled with items that engage students' senses, including instruments, books, letters from composers, photos, and recordings. All this is accompanied by a curriculum and teachers' guide, allowing classroom teachers to implement Composers Suitcase with little assistance.

Though it is certainly developed with music theory in mind, Composers Suitcase also offers children the chance to listen to music, create music, and learn how music is connected to subjects such as social studies, language arts, ELL, and visual arts. Exercises encourage students to think critically about their own lives and the world around them. As they explore music, the cultures it comes from, and the lives of important musical figures, they also get to explore their own lives and cultures by creating music.

A pilot of the second-grade curriculum is in its second year, the third-grade curriculum is in its first, and Suitcase is currently being planned for fourth grade. As we pilot the curricula, they are subject to rigorous, scientific review and refinement. Though the program is still under development, we've already seen teachers and students gain a richer understanding of musical elements and their cultural contexts. We have also seen improved improvisational and compositional ability among students.

Though we certainly don't look at it as an educational panacea, we do offer Composers Suitcase as a sincere effort to improve elementary music education, help schools meet federal and state requirements, and most importantly, get kids doing creative work that inspires curiosity and questions about the world around them.

Composers Suitcase is funded by the California Arts Council, a state agency.