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Hickey, Maud. "Teaching Ensembles to Compose and Improvise." Music Educators Journal 83.6 (1997): 17. Web. 

Hickey discusses the utilization of composition and improvisation in a large ensemble setting and how successful it can be. He provides the reader with several different methods that can be used to incorporate composition and improv into the classroom. Using short songs written by the students as warm ups for the rest of the ensemble is very beneficial for both the group and the individual who wrote the piece. Pieces can be written to reinforce new concepts (rhythmic, melodic, etc.). Hickey emphasizes that improvisation is not limited to jazz band. Students can even improv on a piece written by another student while the teacher accompanies on piano. 

This article is a great resource for creating new comp and improv activities for the classroom. I believe that these two concepts have a very important role in the development of musicians and should be encouraged whenever possible. I would like to expand on Hickey's ideas and have the students come up with their own composition or improvisation activities.

1. How is this received by administrators who walk in to your class and see this process occurring?

2. Will students open up to this idea or be reserved because they are afraid of writing something "bad?"

3. How can we include improvisation in our performances (excluding jazz band)?

Johnson, E. "Developing Listening Skills through Peer Interaction." Music Educators Journal 98.2 (2011): 49-54. Web. 

This article focuses on the roles that are played in the classroom by the teacher and students. Often times, feedback is one-sided; initiated by the teacher for the benefit of the students. Dr. Johnson's article asserts that feedback is often more effective when initiated by the students. It promotes critical thinking that may not occur in a "typical" classroom scenario. Student-led discussions can initiate use of the Zone of Proximal Development.

The article outlines an important, but often overlooked, aspect of teaching music. The teacher is not responsible for every single thing that happens in the ensemble. Student input is extremely valuable and even necessary to ensure that students are constantly engaged and enjoying what they are doing. 

1. Is it possible to have an entirely student led rehearsal that is still collaborative and not taken over by individuals or the conductor?

2. How can this strategy be introduced in a way that will make the "quiet" students want to participate?

3. How much monitoring needs to be done by the teacher?