Beowulf Opera Scenes
Classroom music pedagogy and knowledge when composing an opera with primary-school children
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21684556 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ian James Axtell (0000-0001-7748-6967, Birmingham City University, corresponding author), Anthony Anderson (0000-0003-1423-2163, Birmingham City University), Elizabeth H Macgregor (0000-0002-4026-8816, University of Oxford), Emma Nenadic (0000-0002-5337-0801, Birmingham City University), Martin Fautley (0000-0002-3157-4854, Birmingham City University), Nancy Evans (0000-0001-7763-2434, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, UK), Nancy Burr Evans |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 297-315 |
| Publication date | 2025-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Research Studies in Music Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1321-103X • E-ISSN: 1834-5530 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1321103x241285560 |
| OpenAlex | W4404393312 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 47 |
Composing with children is a complex area that many generalist primary-school teachers in England report finding challenging or intimidating. This article draws on existing literature relating to composing in schools, child-centered learning, cultural capital, and classroom pedagogy to situate and discuss a longitudinal research project exploring composing with primary-aged children. The article focuses on one of eight schools involved in the project, in which children worked with a professional composer alongside their regular classroom teacher to compose operatic scenes to accompany the epic poem, Beowulf . The project utilized a collaborative action research framework, featuring researcher observations of the six composing sessions, semi-structured interviews and reflections with the teacher and composer, and a focus group with the children. The findings highlight seven themes relating to children’s understandings of the composing process, which are theorized into conceptualizations of musical knowledge. The article concludes by tracing some of the international implications for children composing in primary-school contexts
Art · Mathematics education · Music education · Opera · Pedagogy · Primary education · Sociology · Visual arts · Diverse Music Education Insights · Educational Theory and Curriculum Studies · Neuroscience and Music Perception · Psychology
Marginalized No More
How Transdisciplinary and Improvisational Creativities Can Nurture Young Composers and Teachers as Confident “Makers”
Pedagogy, Symbolic Control, and Identity
Flow
The Oxford Handbook of Music Composition Pedagogy
Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education
Knowledge, Education, and Cultural Change
Innovative and disruptive pedagogies in music education
Participatory Research
Those Who Understand
As if by osmosis’
Signature pedagogies in the professions
Music, Mind, and Education
Successful Qualitative Research
Basil Bernstein's Theory of the Pedagogic Device and Formal Music Schooling
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |