TITLE:
A Comparison of Musical Compositions of 3rd, 9th, 11th Graders and Undergraduate University Student Teachers
AUTHORS:
Helene Boucher, Louis-Edouard Thouin-Poppe
KEYWORDS:
Creative Products, Musical Compositions, Schafer, Soundscape
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.17 No.7,
July
14,
2026
ABSTRACT: Creation is now included in most music curricula and learners of different ages and cultures are guided to explore their compositions skills. This qualitative study aimed at developing a better understanding of creative products of musicers of different ages and experiences while using R. Murray Schafer’s pedagogy. Musicers in grades 3, 9 and 11, as well as generalist and music specialist student-teachers composed a soundscape and its visual representation in small groups. The characteristics of the musical products and of the visual representations were analysed through content analysis, as well as the relationships between the two. Results showed that having had more music learning experiences, rather than being older, was associated with the use of more diversified musical components. Additionally, some musical elements, such as beat, were visually represented using the same structural elements as in traditional western notation. Implications for music education for learners of different ages and cultures are discussed.