Blueprints for Creativity, Wilkin, Spring 2026

Course Number:	EDX 5710 S49
Instructor:	Eddie Wilkin, Ed.D.
Location:	Online
Dates and Times:	Mar 15 – Apr 25, 2026. Online synchronous meetings on March 17 from 7-9 PM, March 20 - time TBD and from 7-9 PM on March 24,  March 31, April 7 & April 14.
Credits:	3 Graduate Credits
Tuition:	Set by and payable to Lighthouse Education and Coaching

Course Description

This graduate course invites music teachers to step beyond the concert and into the creative studio, positioning students as composers, improvisers, and songwriters in every classroom setting. Participants will explore practical approaches to integrating composition, improvisation, and songwriting into band, choir, orchestra, and general music programs, with or without advanced technology. Through readings, listening, and hands-on music-making, teachers will design and test strategies for nurturing student voice, risk-taking, and musical identity. Emphasis is placed on low-floor/high-ceiling tasks, inclusive and culturally responsive practices, and authentic assessment that values process as much as product. By the end of the course, participants will leave with a portfolio of ready-to-implement lesson sequences, projects, and rubrics tailored to their own teaching context, along with a renewed vision of their role as facilitators and co-creators of music with their students.

 Audience: Music Educators (Grade 6-12) with a Bachelor's Degree, but willing to adapt K-12

Course Goals & Objectives

Course Goals:

• By the end of this course, participants will be able to analyze and articulate a personal philosophy of the music teacher as facilitator, producer, and co-creator, supported by current research and course texts.
• They will be able to design and justify multi-lesson sequences or projects that embed composition, improvisation, and/or songwriting into their existing band, choir, orchestra, or general music programs.
• Participants will apply principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and culturally responsive pedagogy to adapt or redesign lessons so that creative work is accessible, identity-affirming, and empowering for diverse learners.
• They will also be able to select, implement, and evaluate both acoustic and digital tools (such as DAWs and mobile apps) that support student composing, improvising, and songwriting in their own teaching contexts.
• Finally, participants will create and pilot an assessment system—including at least one rubric, one student reflection tool, and one peer feedback structure—that values creative process, risk-taking, and growth alongside musical products.

Course Objectives:

• Introduce key frameworks and research on student composition, improvisation, and songwriting in K–12 music education.
• Engage participants in hands-on creative music-making (composing, improvising, and songwriting) that mirrors the experiences they will design for their students.
• Apply UDL and culturally responsive practices to design creative tasks that honor diverse learner profiles, identities, and musical backgrounds.
• Explore and experiment with practical tools and technologies—from acoustic strategies to DAWs and mobile apps—that support student creativity in a variety of teaching contexts.
• Develop and refine usable teaching materials and assessments, including prompts, lesson plans, project outlines, and rubrics that embed creativity into existing music programs.

 Course Schedule

Course Schedule:

WEEK 1: Reimagining the Music Teacher & Creative Frameworks

• Topics: Course overview; teacher as facilitator/producer/co-creator; why composing, improvising, and songwriting in K–12.
• Readings:
  • Randles, Music Teacher as Music Producer, selected chapters
  • Greher & Burton (Eds.), Creative Music Making at Your Fingertips, selected chapters
• Assignments:
  • Discussion: “My Creative Music Education Story,” due Wednesday
  • Short Reflection: Philosophy of Creative Teaching (1–2 pages), due Sunday

WEEK 2: Designing Creative Tasks for Everyday Classrooms

• Topics: Low-floor/high-ceiling tasks; embedding creativity in band, choir, orchestra, and general music.
• Readings:
  • Taylor & Sowa, Teaching Musical Creativity, selected chapters
  • Randles, Music Teacher as Music Producer, selected chapters
• Assignments:
  • Discussion: Examples of Creative Tasks from Your Context, due Wednesday
  • Assignment: Draft Micro-Creativity Lesson (single class period), due Sunday

WEEK 3: Student Songwriting & Musical Identity

• Topics: Songwriting as student voice; lyric writing, form, and collaboration; identity-affirming projects.
• Readings:
  • Randles, Growing Songwriting, selected chapters
  • Greher & Burton (Eds.), Creative Music Making at Your Fingertips, selected chapters
• Assignments:
  • Discussion: Centering Student Voice through Songwriting, due Wednesday
  • Project: Songwriting Mini-Project Plan (for your students), due Sunday
  • Projects: Begin Creative Unit Plan

WEEK 4: Improvisation in Ensembles and General Music

• Topics: Structured improvisation; improvisation in large ensembles; creating safe spaces for risk-taking.
• Readings:
  • Healy & Lansinger Ankney, Music Discovery, selected chapters
  • Taylor & Sowa, Teaching Musical Creativity, selected chapters
• Assignments:
  • Discussion: Barriers to Improvisation & How to Lower Them, due Wednesday
  • Assignment: Improvisation Activity Design (band/choir/orchestra/general music), due Sunday
  • Projects: Continue Creative Unit Plan

WEEK 5: Tools, Technology, and Access

• Topics: Acoustic and digital tools (DAWs, mobile apps, simple recording); UDL and culturally responsive design with tech.
• Readings:
  • Greher & Burton (Eds.), Creative Music Making at Your Fingertips, selected chapters
  • Randles, Music Teacher as Music Producer, selected chapters
• Assignments:
  • Discussion: Tech and Access in Your Teaching Context, due Wednesday
  • Project: Tech Integration Mini-Project (creative task using one tool), due Sunday
  • Assignment: Draft Assessment Toolkit (rubric + reflection + peer feedback), due Sunday

WEEK 6: Assessing Creativity & Synthesizing Practice

• Topics: Assessing process and product; portfolios; reflection; pulling it all together.
• Readings:
  • Randles, Growing Songwriting, selected chapters
  • Healy & Lansinger Ankney, Music Discovery, selected chapters
• Assignments:
  • Discussion: Rethinking Assessment for Creative Work, due Wednesday
  • Project: Final Creative Unit Plan (with UDL and tech elements), due Friday
  • Project: Final Assessment Toolkit & Reflective Essay, due Sunday

Required Readings/ Resources

Costs, if any, for required readings/resources are not included in the course tuition.

Randles, C. (2024). Growing songwriting: Student creativities in the classroom and beyond. Oxford University Press. ISBN-13: 978-0-19-769322-3

Randles, C. (2022). Music teacher as music producer: How to turn your classroom into a center for musical creativities. Oxford University Press. ISBN-13: 978-0-19-751946-2

Greher, G. R., & Burton, S. L. (Eds.). (2021). Creative music making at your fingertips: A mobile technology guide for music educators. Oxford University Press. ISBN-13 (paperback): 978-0-19-007812-6

Healy, D. J., & Lansinger Ankney, K. (2020). Music discovery: Improvisation for the large ensemble and music classroom. Oxford University Press. ISBN-13: 978-0-19-046207-9

Taylor, B., & Sowa, J. (2020). Teaching musical creativity: A practical guide for music directors [eBook]. F-flat Books. ISBN-13: 978-1-63991-036-6

For additional course information

Eddie Wilkin, Ed.D.

(201) 575-1233

For additional registration information

Center for Schools Team

(802) 468-1325

Register Now!