"Wow, that sounds already really good to me...". A qualitative survey on aesthetic experiences of students in composing projects

Though the initiation of ‘aesthetic experience’ is one of the principal duties of cultural education, empirical studies, especially in music education, are barely represented. This article focuses on a survey on aesthetic experiences with music in school projects in which students (age 16) composed their own music. First, different elements of the term ‘aesthetic experience’ are described. Then the methodical approach based on ‘Grounded Theory Methodology’ is introduced. An interview transcript is used to illustrate the process of Theoretical Coding. The results reveal five categories linked to the central aspect ‘fulfilled experiences in composing’. One of these five is the increasing initiative of students in the composing process, which is explained in its supporting and inhibiting conditions. This is finally discussed as an important indicator of aesthetic experience in composing projects. (DIPF/Orig.