thia occurred several years ago when, through Christopher Kendall, dean of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance, I had the good fortune to observe and take part in one of her music/composing classes. Cynthia is a fine example of a teacher who can combine this kind of creative activity with no elaborate infrastruc- ture.
In other words, the work in her
classroom is fun and empowering for all concerned. For more information, I refer you to her article “Is Composition ‘Legit’ for the 5th Grade Music Class- room?” published in the Summer 2012 issue of The Michigan Music Educator.
My favorite activity, and one which I have borrowed from her and used all over the world (always giving her credit!), is her “Geographical-Improv” fantasy game. The class is divided by the teacher into groups of 4 to 6 indi- viduals. Each group is given a secret slip of paper with a geographical envi-
ronment: Ocean, Arctic, Tropical, City, and so forth.
Their assignment is to
create a piece of music that represents their environment. They may use any instruments found in the classroom, pri- marily the Orff pitched-percussion and non-pitched percussion instruments, as well as body percussion sounds and movement, and any type of vocalizing. The piece should have a beginning, a middle, and an end, and it should be notated graphically on a large poster board. Every individual in the group must have creative input and take an active part. After each group performs for their classmates, the students guess the environment represented by the piece and discuss musical factors such as choice of instruments (tone color), melodic construction, form, balance, effectiveness of choices to represent their environment, etc. In all my times using this exercise as an entry point for composing, I have never had less than uproarious and stunning results.
Space does not permit detailing more of these enabling activities, but suffice it to say that when a child is engaged creatively and his or her idea taken seriously, good things happen.
The
positive response spills over into other social and academic areas. We are con- ducting longitudinal studies to measure how deeply an involvement in the VYC will change a child’s life. So far, we are seeing unmistakable evidence of in- creased proactivity, academic perfor- mance, self-esteem and above all, lead- ership. Composing, like conducting, builds leadership and responsibility. In the words of the great José An- tonio Abreu, founder of El Sistema, “Through Music, the child becomes a citizen.”
For more information, contact Jon Deak at
deakj@nyphil.org.
Honors Composition Contest
MMEA is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Honors Composition Contest! These com- positions will be featured on the 2014 Honors Composition Concert in January. We received many fine submissions, and we congratulate ALL students who submitted pieces for this year’s event! Please make plans to attend this year’s concert, to be held at the Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids, MI on Saturday, January 18th, 2014 (1 PM) in the beautiful Ambassador Ballroom, inside the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel.
2014 Winners
Hanna Ayrault, Grosse Pointe Park - Fighter Tyler Bouque, Troy - Queen of Halves / Dahlia’s Web Logan Butler, Jackson - There Will Come Soft Rains
Alyssa Campbell, Grosse Pointe - Three Part Fugue in C minor Ruby Collins, Interlochen - Down Hill Sierra Cornell, Ann Arbor - Love Lies Latia Delks, Ecorse - Family James Fischer, Ann Arbor - Control Alt Delete Paige Goetz, Commerce Township - Forgotten Sunlight
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Nicole Liang, Canton - A Day at the Market Natasha Lord, Taylor - Where You Are Near Molly Monahan, Holland - Two Ragas Ancel “Fitz” Neeley, Dewitt - Egypt Anvit Rao, Ann Arbor - Hide and Seek Mary Reinman, Grosse Pointe Farms - Taking My Bow Ben Snoek, Holland - Rhapsodia Theodora Tolbert, Ypsilanti - Walking Forward Zachary Turner, Beverly Hills - Holes in the Plot Jonathan Valente, Grosse Pointe Farms - Reflections on the Cosmos Collin Will, Dexter - Tsouke’s Dance
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