Future Composers in Your Classrooms?

Do you notice any students of yours who do particularly well when composing in your music program? Let them know that young composers do get noticed! Recently, a 17 year old composer was the winner of 2 big awards and has since formed his own band that plays chamber music composed since 1988. Maybe students of yours will be winning composition awards in the future. Why not give your students a start by having them submit melodies to the Hartwick College “Hey Mozart” Northeast Child Composer Project?

Having your students compose in the classroom may plant the seeds for them to continue composing in their lives. As educators promote the importance of students composing original music, more and more performing groups may begin to include student material in their performances. This not only fosters strong relationships between students and professional performing groups but also gives students a sense that they can play a role in the music world in a very real sense. This is also a great way to build younger audiences for professional performing groups.

Orchestras such as the New Mexico Symphony have already started to do this by partnering with the Hartwick College Child Composer project and including 12 year old and younger student composed material a concert and cd recording. Other orchestras such as the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the St. Paul’s Chamber Orchestra are taking graduate student composers seriously and performing their works in concerts. Why not reach out to one of the local performing groups in your area and propose a project that involves your students. One day one of your students may become a famous composer and even include your name in the thank you section of her/his liner notes!