As a music educator, creating music, arrangements, and improvisations are important tools that must be

brought into the classroom instruction. These skills will be developed in the classroom through a variety
of different lessons, activities, and musical experiences. These activities will allow students to discover
new tools that they can use in their music making, as well as skills that can be transferred into other
subject areas. In my time as a music educator, I will continue to develop and improve upon my
knowledge in creation, arrangement, and improvisation.
Music creation, arrangement, and improvisation are skills that are easily transferrable into the classroom,
both at the elementary and secondary level. The skills that I have been able to develop and improve upon
have been beneficial as an educator, and as a musician. As an educator, the ability to create and improvise
new music for classroom instruction provides validity and importance to the lesson. I have had multiple
opportunities to create new melodies, rhythms, and words for lessons and activities in the elementary
music classroom. An example is the creation of a lesson based around the folk song, Have You Seen the
Ghost of Tom, in which I developed activities around learning rhythms, creating body percussion, and
movement activities. Improvisation should be included into the creation of lessons and activities, as well,
by way of having students create movements, lyrics, rhythms, and other elements that are included in
music making. Arranging music is a skill that I have thoroughly enjoyed learning, and continue to
develop my skills in. One of my favorite, and most useful choral arrangements that I have done is an
arrangement of The Star Spangled Banner. This arrangement was originally produced as an assignment,
but has continued to be altered and re-worked during my time in the classroom. This arrangement, while
somewhat simple, has been such a useful work that I have incorporated throughout my choir classes. As
opportunities arise, I continue to work on more arrangements of choral scores, instrumental
accompaniments, solo pieces, and elementary music. Incorporating my skills of creation, arrangement,
and improvisation are important for provide models for students, collaborating with students, and
furthering myself as an educator and musician.
Students, as well, should become musicians and artists that are able to create, arrange, and improvise on
their own. While this is not a skill that will be learned overnight, students will be provided with a great
number of experiences that will aid in the development of these skills. When students have the
opportunity to take have a say in the creating and improvising music in the classroom, they can
collaborate with peers, and have an even greater sense of ownership in the music that is being made. The
buy-in that students can gain when they have a chance to make decisions about music making can push
students towards further investment and enjoyment of their musical experiences. If students are put into
groups where they develop movement or lyrics to a song, then share them with their peers, they have an
opportunity to create and improvise, developing a sense of pride in their work. Students can develop and
enhance creation and improvisational skills are original song and lyric writing, exercises on jazz 12-bar
solos, and part writing. Arrangements can come as a product of the activities previously stated, or through
small ensemble, solo, or large ensemble works. When creation, arrangement, and improvisational skills
are incorporated into lessons, students have opportunities to continue improving upon them.
Creating, arranging, and improvising music is important to student learning and music making from an
early introduction to music, and continuing throughout their years in the music classroom. Continuing to
grow my own skills in these areas will be transferred to my students through new and creative lessons.
Using activities that encourage students to create, improvise, and arrange music in classes, can play a
great role in their development as musicians, and can continue to encourage them as they continue as
students in music. New musical opportunities will be included into classes to provide an encouraging and
supportive environment for students to grow as musicians through creation, improvisation and
arrangement.