A Time Analysis of the Compositional Processes Used by Children Ages 7 to 11

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the amount of time that children of different ages, sexes, and proficiency levels spent on various compositional processes while creating a melody. The author gave 60 children (ages 7, 9, and 11) 10 minutes to compose a song on an electronic keyboard and asked each child to play his or her song and repeat it. Analysis of the 10-minute compositional periods indicated the amount of exploration, development, repetition, and silence subjects used while composing. No significant differences were found in performance between the sexes. Subjects who demonstrated proficiency in replicating their songs differed significantly in the use of repetition and exploration from those subjects who did not. Results suggest that (a) improvisation is a more appropriate creative activity than composition for 7-year-olds; (b) repetition is a necessary process in composing replicable songs; and (c) 9- and 11-year-olds are capable of using exploration, development, and repetition in a manner consistent with reports of adult composers' compositional processes.