Trends and Issues of “Creative Music
Making” in the Music Education of Japan:
An Examination Based on the Courses ofMusic Study in Elementary Schools
Asuna WATANABE, Kayoko YAMAMOTO
Joint Doctoral Program for Sustainability Research
Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering
University of Electro-Communications (UEC)ⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

Outline
1. Introduction
2. Related Work
3. Method
4. Result and Discussion
5. Conclusionⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.1

1-1. Introduction
 “Creative music making” (CMM) is a theory of music learningand was spread in Europe of the 1970s
 In Japanese music education, the courses of music study(COMS) introduced CMM in 1989, and the name of CMM waschanged to “music-making” in 2008
 Although music-making is being promoted now, the recent
survey shows “music-making” practice is still under 15% of theschool hours of music education in a year of elementaryschools
 If the COMS keeps on promoting CMM in music-making, it isnecessary to clarify the current situation in elementary
schools from viewpoint of CMM
 This study aims to disclose the current trends and issues ofCMM especially in elementary schoolsⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.2

1-2. Backgrounds 1/5
 In 1989,“Creative Music Making”(CMM) wasintroduced into
the courses of music study（COMS） **The Japanese government guidelines for teachingⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.3

1-2. Backgrounds 2/5
What’s CMM ?
 A theory of music learning establishedby John F. Paynter in 1970
 It was spread in Europe in the 1970s
 Basic concept is on contemporary music**Contemporary music is Western classical music since
the end of the 19th century onward. The
composition usage shows idea that is free from thestandards of Western classical music. The musicalcharacteristics are still hard to understand for thegeneral public.
ⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.4

1-2. Backgrounds 3/5
 CMM is a system for total music learning throughchildren-centered activities (refer to Fig.1 in the slide
No.6)(1) Playing with music and improvisationalmusical expression(2) Making sounds into music→ Learning essential elements of music
music materials, music techniques, etc.
(3) Music appreciation
 CMM leads children to cultivate a better understandingof modern music and music creativityⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No. 5

1-2. Backgrounds 4/5
CMM leads children to cultivate a betterunderstanding of modern music and music creativity

Understanding theelements of music
Learning the elements
and structure of music
Experience ofmusic creation

Music appreciation
Making sounds into music

Playing with music andimprovisational musical expression

Fig.1 System of CMMⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.6

1-2. Backgrounds 5/5
 Researchers on music education have pointed
out confusions among music teachers, especiallyelementary school teachers, since theintroduction of CMM⇒ One cause is a concept of “creativity” is notclear in the COMS
 The current situation related to CMM is not
sufficiently clarified because studies on CMM
decreased in the 2000s

COMS: Courses of music study
CMM: Creative Music Makingⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.7

2. Related Work 1/2（A）Studies on CMM
in COMS
Takasu (1994) (3)（B）Studies onmusic-making inCOMS

This study

Sakai (2010) (7)（C）Studies ontransitionof CMM
Nonami and Ikegami(2005) （5）Shimazaki (2010)（8）Fig.2 Relationship between this study and previous studiesⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.8

2. Related Work 2/2
 (A) Studies on CMM in COMS and (B) Studies onmusic-making do not consider the trends ofCMM in Japanese music education
 (C) Studies on transition of CMM do not consider
the theory of CMM itself.
 All studies do not clarify the current situation inCOMS⇒ This study clarifies the trends of CMM basedon the previous COMS from 1947 to 2017
COMS: Courses of music study
CMM: Creative Music Makingⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.9

3. Method
1. Grasping the background of CMM introduced
into the COMS after the World War Ⅱ in Japanreviewing the related literatures
2. Clarifying the progress of CMM conducting word
analysis of COMS by referring the database ofcourses of study This study describes the relationships
between the goal of the COMS and CMM
COMS: Courses of music study
CMM: Creative Music Makingⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.10

4-1. Result: Trends of CMM 1/2
 The results can be classified into two
backgrounds (refer to Fig.3 in the slide No.12)(1) The outlines of COMS
⇒ 4-1-1. Outlines of COMS
(2) The progress of CMM in COMS
⇒ 4-1-2. Progress of CMM in COMS
COMS: Courses of music study
CMM: Creative Music Makingⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.11

4-1. Result: Trends of CMM 2/2Introduction of CMM into COMS
1947

1958 1968 1977 1989 1998 2008 2017present(1)Outlines of COMS

(2) Progress of
CMM in COMS

Fig.3 History of COMS
ⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.12

4-1-1. Outlines of COMS 1/9In 1947
 Beginning of the COMS
 COMS declared to promote music education as thecultivation of student’s aesthetic sentiments
in its preface
 COMS set six subject-goals by musical ability (refer toTable 1 in the slide No.14)
 Musical creativity was cultivated only by composing in thesubject-goals of No.3
 Musical expression was cultivated by singing and playing
the instruments in the subject-goals of No.4
COMS: Courses of music studyⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.13

4-1-1. Outlines of COMS 2/9
Table1 Subject-goals in COMS (1947)

No.
1
23
45
6

Subject-goals
Nurturing a rich humanity
Acquiring musical skills and knowledge
Cultivating musical creativity (Composing)
Cultivating musical expression(Singing, Playing the instruments)
Cultivating score-reading skills
Cultivating music-appreciation skillsⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.14

4-1-1. Outlines of COMS 3/9
 COMS had two practical problems(1) Cultivating artistic creativity(2) Teaching biased to music skills
 COMS has been revised the subject-goals, thelearning contents and its structure three times
to solve the problems:in 1958, 1968 and 1977
ⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.15

4-1-1. Outlines of COMS 4/9
In 1958
 COMS emphasized children-centered education
 Musical creativity was cultivated by not only composing
but also singing and playing the instruments in thesubject goal of No.3 (refer to Table 2 in the slide No.17)
 COMS organized two learning fields(1) Expression
Learning contents were Singing,
Playing the instruments and Composing(2) Appreciation
Learning contents was Music appreciationⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.16

4-1-1. Outlines of COMS 5/9
Table 2 Subject-goals in COMS (1958)
No.

Subject-goals

1

Cultivating aesthetics through the experience of enrich music anddeveloping musical sensation2

Developing the attitude and ability through listening to theexcellent music, and getting close to mind to the music

3

Learning musical expression skills through the activities: singing,playing the instruments and making the melody,and improving the ability of creative expression with music.

4

Understanding knowledge of the music through music
appreciation and musical expression to enrich your musicexperience

5For rich everyday life, Fostering attitudes and manner throughmusical experienceⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.17

4-1-1. Outlines of COMS 6/9
In 1968
 COMS aimed cultivating children’s musicalabilities step by step
 Adding “foundation” into the learning fields
 “Foundation” are commons to “expression” and“appreciation” (refer to Fig.4 in the slide No.19)ⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.18

4-1-1. Outlines of COMS 7/9
Foundation

ex. Rhythmic sense
Harmony senseetc.

MusicAppreciation

Expression

Fig.4 Structure of learning field (1968)ⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.19

4-1-1. Outlines of COMS 8/9
There were problems as follows: Most of music teachers taught the music
activities of “expression” (singing, playing theinstruments and composing) separately
 Too much emphasis on musical skills by adding“foundation”ⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.20

4-1-1. Outlines of COMS 9/9
In 1977
 Since the 1970s, the Japanese government haspromoted flexible education
 COMS eliminated “foundation”
 COMS described subject-goals in one sentence
and added a new phrase, “a love of music inhuman nature”
In 1989 CMM was introduced into COMS
ⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.21

4-1-2. Progress of CMM in COMS 1/3
Table 3 Changes in learning contents of CMM-related classes

Year1989

Name
Creating andexpressing
the music

Learning contents
Singing
Playing instruments
Composing

2008

Music-making

Composing2017

Music-making

Composing
1. Playing with music andimprovisational musicalexpression
2. Making sounds into musicⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.22

4-1-2. Progress of CMM in COMS 2/3
In 1989

Table 3 Changes in learning contents of CMM-related classes
Year

Name

Learning contents

 CMM was indicated as
1989 Creating andSinging
expressing
Playing instruments“creating and expressing
the music
Composing2008 Music-making
Composingthe music” in the COMS
2017 Music-making
Composing
1. Playing with music andfor elementary schools
improvisational musicalexpression
 The learning contents
2. Making sounds into music
included the three contents:(1) singing,(2) playing the instruments andCOMS: Courses of music study(3) composing
CMM: Creative Music Makingⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.23

4-1-2. Progress of CMM in COMS 3/3
Table 3 Changes in learning contents of CMM-related classes
In 2008
YearName
Learning contents
 The COMS changed
1989 Creating andSinging
expressingPlaying instruments
the name to “music-making”
the music
Composing2008 Music-making
Composing Learning contents of2017 Music-making
Composing
1. Playing with music and“music-making” include
improvisational musicalexpression
only composing
2. Making sounds into music
In 2017
 COMS separated music-making into two activities:(1) Playing with music and improvisationalmusical expression(2) Making sounds into musicⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.24

4-2. Discussion 1/3
The outlines of COMS are as follows: Expanding the interpretation of musical creativity in1958
 Emphasis on cultivating basic musical abilities stepby step in 1968
 The integrated musical activities (singing, playing
the instruments, composing and music appreciation)
based on foundation learning in 1968
 Promoting the system for total music activity tosolve the problems in 1977 (refer to the slide No.20)ⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.25

4-2. Discussion 2/3
 Progress of CMM in COMS can be broadly classified
into three phases (refer to Fig.5 in the slide No.27)(1) Introducing the concept of CMM into COMS
from 1989 to 2008
(2) Focusing on the learning contents of CMM
from 2008 to 2017(3) Subdividing of the activity contents of CMM
from 2017 to present
 “Music-making” was indicated to create sounds andmusic based on children’s ideas and creativity without
the expression of existing musical works in 2008
ⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.26

4-2. Discussion 3/3
Introduction of CMM
into COMS

1989

1998

2008

(1)The concept of CMM

2017(2) Narrowing
the contents

present(3) Subdivisionof the activity
contents

Fig.5 Progress of CMM in COMS
ⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.27

4-3. Issues of CMM
 The active contents in 2017 and the contents ofCMM are almost the same (refer to Fig.1 in theslide No.6)
 Although CMM promotes making sounds intomusic to music appreciation, COMS do not shows
the process for music appreciation in learning
contents of music-making (refer to Table 3 in theslide No.22)ⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.28

5-1. Conclusion 1/2
The current trends and issues of CMM in elementary
schools are as follows: CMM is still being promoted by changing to“music-making” (4-2. Discussion in the slide No.26)
 Although the learning contents of music-making
should be more specific in COMS,
COMS do not clarify the process for music
appreciation (4-3. Issues of CMM in the slide No.28)
 COMS needs to show the contents of the process
COMS: Courses of music study
CMM: Creative Music Makingⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.29

5-1. Conclusion 2/2
The objectives of CMM based on the outlines of COMS
are as follows: (4-2. Discussion in the slide No.25)
 Eliminating the biasof learning contents
by promoting asystem for totalmusic educationⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.30

5-2. Future Research However, it is not clear whether CMM have beenachieved the objectives (refer to the slide No.30)⇒ CMM is likely to be just a system because
CMM is not sufficiently put into practice yet
among music teachers It is necessary to analyze the examples of CMM
practice, and clarify whether it can be put into
practice in an effective and efficient manner
COMS: Courses of music study
CMM: Creative Music Makingⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.31

References 1/2(1) Matsumoto, Tsunetoshi and Yamamoto, Fumishige (1986). Souzouteki Ongaku
Gakusyu no Kokoromi (An attempt to practice of CMM). Tokyo: Ongaku noTomo Sha Corp.
(2) Ministry of Education (1989). Shyougakkou Shidoushyo Ongakuhen (The courses ofmusic study). Tokyo: Kyoiku-Geijutsu Sha.
(3) Takasu, Hajime (1994). Souzouteki Ongakugakusyuu ni okeru “Souzousei Ikusei” no
Saikou: Souzousei Ikusei ni kansuru J.F. Paynter no Kennkai wo to shite(Reconsideration of "Creative Music Making" - through the opinion by J.F. Paynter
about raising creativity), Onngaku Kyouikugaku (Japanese journal of musiceducation research), vol.24 (2), pp.25-36.
(4) Ministry of Education (1999). Shyougakkou Shidoushyo Kaisetsu Ongakuhen (TheGuide of courses of music study). Tokyo: Kyoiku-Geijutsu Sha.
(5) Nonami, Takehiko and Ikegami, Satoshi (2005). Souzouteki Ongaku Gakusyu noKeifu Ⅲ(Tracing back the history of creative music-making (III) : achievements andproblems of creative music-making in the context of music education and teacher
training in Japan), Bulletin of the Faculty of Education, Yamaguchi University, vol.55,pp.251-264.
(6) Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (2008).
Shyougakkou Shidoushyo Kaisetsu Ongakuhen (The Guide of courses of music
study). Tokyo: Kyoiku-Geijutsu Sha.
ⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

No.32

References 2/2(7) Sakai, Megumi (2010). "Ongaku-Dukuri" no Kyouikuteki Konkyo ni kannsuru
Kenkyuu: Yoisa no Kai no Jissenn wo tegakari ni Oto wo kikukoto ni tuite noBigakuteki Kousatu wo humaete (A study on the Educational Grounds of“music-making”: The Aesthetic Considerations about listening to sounds based on
the practice of Yoisa-no-kai Society). Tokyo University of the Arts, Doctoral
Dissertation.
(8) Shimazaki, Atsuko (2010). Nihon no Ongaku Kyoiku ni okeru Souzouteki Ongaku
Gakusyu no Donyu to Sono Tenkai (Introduction of Creative Music Making toMusic Education in Japan ant its Development), Annual report of the Faculty ofEducation, Bunkyo University, vol.44, pp.77-91.
(9) Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (2017).
Shyougakkou Gakusyu Shidoushyo (Hesei 29 nenn Kokuji) Kaisetsu Ongakuhen(The courses of music study). Tokyo: Toyokan Publishing(10) Tanimoto, Naomi (2017). “Kyoushi no Htsuwa Bunseki kara Miru’Ongaku-dukuri’no atarashi Igi” (The New Role of Creative Music Making from the Viewpoint ofTeachers’ Utteraces: Compared with Singing and Playing Instruments). Researchbulletin, Tōin University of Yokohama, vol.37, pp.21-28.
(11) National Institute for Educational Policy Research. (2019). Database of courses ofstudy, Retrieved Feb, 5, 2020, from https://www.nier.go.jp/guideline/ⓒ 2012 UEC Tokyo.

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