An analysis of compositional process used by children

The purpose of this study was to measure the process of creating music and to measure the final product. The responses of individual students were compared to the responses of students in peer groups. A secondary purpose was to measure responses of two age groups, 8 and 10 year old students. Twenty compositions were created. Each age group created ten compositions. Within each age group, five students composed an individual composition and five pairs of students each composed a composition. Subjects for this study (N = 30) were 8-year-old students (n = 15) and 10-year-old students (n = 15) from a suburban public school. The subjects were asked to compose a song in ten minutes, play the new song and then repeat the song. The compositions were analyzed for time spent on the process of composition. Analysis consisted of time spent on exploration, development, repetition, and silence. Compositions were also measured for replication. Composition comparisons were made between age groups, single, and partner groups.

Result of this study indicate children 8 and 10 are capable of composing. All subjects demonstrating proficiency in replicating their songs differed in the use of repetition compared to subjects not measuring replication. Paired subjects differed significantly in the use of silence. There was significant difference between the age groups in the use of development.