This article is taken from doctoral research which sought to discover the nature of teachers' pedagogy in the primary school classroom by looking at their understanding of the teaching of composing, their approach to lesson design and organisation, and the way these are reflected in their practice. Specific examples of six case studies involving specialist music teachers from different primary schools in the south west of England will present the case for their teaching of composing. Data were collected through interviews with the teachers, head teachers and children; videotaped observations of classroom composition lessons; and teachers' engagement in reflective conversations based on a viewing of their own lesson and the lesson of another teacher in the study. The paper argues that teachers are not free agents but that their choices, where practice is concerned, are constrained by their circumstances and their perceptions of those circumstances. In order to affect the quality of children's learning positively, teachers need to draw their teaching from a range of their previous experiences as creative individuals, musicians and teachers and engage with the students in the activity of creative music making.