Creating
Music is not just the universal language, it is the language of the universe.
Music is all around us. It is in the frequencies, rhythms, and sonic patterns of life and nature. Consider the examples of the rhythmically pulsing heartbeat, the sound of ocean waves washing ashore, the joy of bird song in the morning, and the steady tempo of a horse’s gait. From their study of cosmic microwave background, Starkman and Schwarz (2005) conclude that the entire universe resonates with what they term “spherical harmonics”. It is as though the entire universe is singing.
- Juliana Barnett & David Barnett, "Music in Mission: The Role of the Universal Language in World Evangelism" - (2018)
Creativity in music happens at the intersection of knowledge and inspiration. The word "inspiration" comes from the Latin inspirare - the root word spir means “breathe.” This root is the word
origin of a fair number of English vocabulary words, including inspire,
respiration, and expire. In the context of music, "inspiration" connotes the idea of life being breathed into a thing; it is generative. Creative musical knowledge is “the engagement of the mind in the active, structured process of
thinking in sound for the purpose of producing some product that is new for the
creator.” (Webster, 2012) Musical knowledge and inspiration work together to foster exceptional creativity.
Here's a great exercise that uses music technology tools to help you create music that conveys EMOTION. Click on the image above to access the lesson plan.
Creating Music Through Improvisation
Improvisation is one of the most unique forms of spontaneous musical creativity. It requires a strong functional knowledge of music theory that creates interesting pathways for in-the-moment creative expression of musical ideas. Explore the lesson plan below to develop your musical improvisation skills.
Objectives (Secondary School Level)
Creating Music Through Composition
Music composition and arranging is a way to capture creativity, refine it, edit it, and expand it in ways that it can be re-expressed in subsequent performances. Explore the lesson plan below to develop your music composition skills.
Objectives (Secondary School Level)
Ostinato Videos
