Frances Goei, NCTM, Young Composers Project Chair
Looking for a new challenge for your students this year? Why not have them compose something for the Young Composers Project. It is amazing what music composition teaches students: rhythm, harmony, melody, theory and so much more (basically all of the Music Literacy skills). Whenever I ask my students to do something I also do it with them. Every summer, I ask my students to write compositions. Some summers it happens more than others. This past summer was a huge success.
Why was this summer more successful? I asked all my students to pick their favorite color and we talked about what this meant (adjectives). They drew pictures using that color and came up with stories about their color. Some examples were: yellow (duck), black (haunted mansion, pirate, storm), red (balloon), pink (flamingo), blue (water) and purple (flower garden).
Then they started to write. The hardest thing is always to start. I told them to start with an idea (even 1 note is an idea) and then we talked about repetition, sequencing, question/answer phrases, etc. We would work 5 minutes each lesson and many students are well into finishing up their pieces. Some performed them at our September recitals. My color was (blue/green) and I wrote a Whidbey Island Sea Shanty. My son wrote the lyrics and some friends came and sang it for my recital. We all pretended we were on a boat and everyone joined in on the chorus. A lot of fun!
Each year we have outstanding judges for the YCP. Many students submit multiple pieces because they want the feedback from these judges. I am in the process of asking the same judges from last year and pictures and bios will be found on the WSMTA website under the Young Composers Project.
The Young Composers Project open registration will run from February 1-25, 2025. The deadline for submissions will be on Tuesday, February 25, 2025. The only change this year is that the first place composer does not need to attend the YCP recital at the state conference. We hope they will make an effort to do so as this is a very special event. Travel grants will again be given to all YCP performers and their collaborators (accompanist or ensemble partners) who attend the WSMTA conference YCP recital.
Remember to note that the changes from previous years remain:
- Once someone wins (1st place only) in 2025, they will not be eligible to compete in 2026. They can submit for comments only. They will be eligible for competition again in 2027. Anyone receiving 2nd, 3rd or Honorable Mention is eligible to compete again each year.
- All solo and duet performances must be live. Video recordings of a live performance of a winning composition with three or more players will be allowed. The 2025 performance will take place in late June.
- The performance time of compositions will be limited to 3 min for K-4, 5 min for grades 5-8 and 7 minutes for grades 9-12.
- The collegiate and teacher categories have been removed due to insufficient participation.