Do we have writing assignments in music class?

When we first started discussing writing in class, my first thought was that none of this was going to apply to my discipline area (music).  However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that writing is simply a way of expressing one's thoughts and ideas.  As musicians, our main means of expressing our ideas is through performing.  Instead of giving writing assignments we give playing tests.  This is how the teacher can assess the student's understanding and interpretation of the music.

Another way that writing can be applied to music is by asking students to write a musical composition.  Some of my favorite assignments in college were writing short compositions.  In other disciplines this could be compared to writing a paper on the topic of your choice.  While students should be free to use their creativity, I think some basic guidelines are necessary so they have some structure to their composition.  In high school I remember the paper's I enjoyed writing the most were the ones where we could pick our own topic.  The teacher would give us a list of options if we needed ideas and also had a criteria for what elements should be included in the assignment.  This should be the same for giving a composition writing assignment.  There should be a purpose to asking them to write a composition, not just for the sake of writing.  It's important for the students to understand the main goal of the assignment and have a checklist of things that need to be included.

The last kind of writing assignment I thought could be applied to music was writing an essay on a composer, orchestral work, or concert they attended.  When I had to do concert reports, my teacher would just ask us to write a page about the concert.  By making it that broad you don't really give them anything specific to listen for.  I think students would get more out of the performance if they had guided questions they had to answer.  This would give them something to pay attention to.  Many times students will write that they liked or disliked a certain piece, but they don't say why.  Asking them to listen for certain musical elements will increase their level of listening and help them become better musicians.

To conclude, writing can be applied to music in many different ways.  Maybe some of the ideas here will be useful to someone in another discipline.  You can find ways to apply and incorporate anything, as long as you are creative and think outside the box!