How artists learn and teach creating artworks: A study based on interviews with teachers at a music college

Abstract

The arts exist within social and cultural contexts, influencing activities such as learning, creating, and teaching. Prior research on artists’ expertise has often focused on individual processes, leaving the intergenerational succession of knowledge—specifically how expert artists mentor younger generations—relatively unexplored. In this study, we interviewed two composition faculty members teaching creative composition at a music college to examine their own learning experiences and their current teaching practices at conservatories. The findings indicate that composition learning resources can be categorized into materials (e.g., scores, books, and recordings), instructors, peers, and opportunities to hear compositions. Teaching composition was found to involve the coordination and management of these resources. The teachers encouraged students to engage with a broad range of musical works and acquire a variety of knowledge about art. Furthermore, by having students organize and manage performances where their own work is showcased, they are encouraged to acquire practical knowledge not attainable through lessons alone, such as listening to the performances of their own work. During lessons, the teachers valued the students’ creative intentions and originality, encouraging them to articulate their ideas and addressing practical technical problems such as instrumentation and notation. However, they avoided imposing strong directives on what needed correction. This approach reflected an attitude of “active non-inheritance,” where the teachers refrained from having students simply follow their own compositional methods or aesthetic interests.