Creative thinking processes in adolescent computer-based composition: An analysis of strategies adopted and the influence of instrumental music training Presenter: Jenny Tseng Professor: Ming-Puu Chen Date: September 15, 2008 Seddon, F. A. & O'Neill, S. A. (2003). Creative thinking processes in adolescent computer- based composition: An analysis of strategies adopted and the influence of instrumental music training. Music Education Research, 5(2),

2 Introduction (1/2) It is important to take into account the relationship between—  the musical skill of the participant  the levels of novelty and difficulty of the task Two different uses of music technology  Supplementary use: Adolescents with prior experience of formal instrumental music tuition (FIMT) employed their instrumental skills and used the technology to record their compositions.  Integral use: Adolescents without FIMT explored and reacted to the possibilities made available by the computer.

3 Introduction (2/2) Composition task  An open-ended  A problem-finding context  Aural rather than notational skills Surveillance effects was reduced by revealing the complete composition process without presenting any teaching of composition material that might have influenced the process or product of composition.

4 Research Questions What composition strategies do adolescents adopt when engaging with a computer-based composition task?; To what extent do adolescents adopt different strategies during the composition process?; To what extent do adolescents adopt different composition strategies according to their prior experience of FIMT?

5 Method Participants Forty-eight adolescents  13–14 years old  A secondary school in the Northwest of England  Were selected by the Head of Music Among 48 adolescents, 25 adolescents  12 females and 13 males  Two and four years’ prior experience of FIMT Among 48 adolescents, 23 adolescents  12 females and 11 males  No prior experience of FIMT

6 Method Procedure (1/2) Two scripted 30-minute training sessions  were scripted to control for variations in training  focused on how to use the composition program  did not provide any instruction in the compositional process  No musical examples were given that could have implied ‘correct models’ to copy.

7 Method Procedure (2/2) Composition sessions  Three individual 30-minute sessions on three consecutive days  All on-screen manipulations of the program were recorded to videotape through a video-card installed in the computer.  Midi files were saved using different name references for each participant at the end of each composition session

8 Method Data Analysis The analysis of the videotapes was used for the qualitative analysis of text.  grounded theory  constant comparative method Immersion Categorization Phenomenological reduction Triangulation Interpretation

9 Results (1/3) Twelve composition strategies Meta-approaches A, B and C  Types of ‘creative behavior’  Based upon— The relative amounts of time spent in each of these composition activities Rules of inclusion formulated for the meta-approaches

10 Results (2/3) Meta-approach A  Crafting  Focus on rehearsal and construction activities  Relatively little exploration Meta-approach B  Expressing  Focus on exploratory activities with the rehearsal activities  Develop ideas Meta-approach C  Immersing  Focused almost exclusively on the exploratory activities  Little or no engagement with rehearsal or construction

11 Results (3/3) Two of the meta-approaches “Expressing” and “Immersing” were characterized by higher levels of exploratory behavior than the meta-approach “Crafting”.

12 Discussion (1/5) The aim of this study was to investigate potential differences in composition strategies adopted by adolescents with and without prior experience of FIMT when engaging in a computer-based composition task. The results indicate that—  there are a number of different strategies adolescents adopt  these strategies are part of three meta-approaches used

13 Discussion (2/5) The findings also revealed differences between the meta-approaches adopted by adolescents based on their prior experience of FIMT. The results support to previous studies that reported individuals with prior experience of FIMT tended to experiment less with the facilities made available by the computer than individuals without prior experience of FIMT

14 Discussion (3/5) Possible interpretations  Children with prior experience of instrumental tuition adhering to musical parameters associated with traditional notions of musical form and structure.  Instrumental tuition influences the composition process as a result of the participant’s self-image as “a musician”.  Instrumental tuition gives participants additional musical skills, which enables them to develop musical ideas away from the computer.

15 Discussion (4/5) Possible interpretations - continued  Their musical training limited their choices because they felt they could only operate within the parameters of their instrumental skills.  Untrained individuals because they had no instrumental skills, did not make this connection between instrumental skills and composition so they started with more potential compositional options that they were prepared to explore through the possibilities made available by the technology.

16 Discussion (5/5) Future research  Further investigate whether or not intensive instrumental training of a classical conservatoire nature influences composition strategies and outcomes  Explore participants’ perceptions in more detail