Finale Music Composition Contest
Here is a great opportunity for collegiate students from Finale Music, makers of Finale notation software.
2012 Finale® National Composition Contest
In partnership with MakeMusic, Inc., and the acclaimed American string quartet JACK Quartet, the American Composers Forum announces the 2012 Finale® National Composition Contest.
The objective of this competition is to encourage creativity by student composers who are currently enrolled in graduate and undergraduate institutions in the United States.
Three students from the total applicant pool will be chosen as finalists. Each will receive a cash prize and be asked to write a string quartet for JACK Quartet, which will be workshopped and performed by the ensemble in New York City in September, 2012. Ultimately, one of these pieces will be chosen to receive the final prize, which includes an additional cash award and future public performances by JACK Quartet.
Full contest guidelines, application information and submission link are available here.
Application deadline: midnight on November 15, 2011 (electronic submission)
Free Jingles
These aren’t just free, they’re fabulous! IMMusic Inc. has created 71 free jingles that you can use for practically anything you can think of! You could use them for presentations, commercials, collages of student pictures, etc. If you are needing jingles that not everyone else is using (of course lots of people use the free music available in the video making software on your computer), I highly recommend these jingles from IMMusic Inc.
I used 2 of these high quality jingles for this Rhythm Menagerie video. They were perfect!
In addition, If you are a composer and need someone to do background accompaniments for your compositions or orchestrations of something you have written, you’ll want to talk to IMMusic as well. They were the creators of the instrument accompaniment tracks for Returning to the Piano, published by Hal Leonard!
You can follow IMMusic Inc on Twitter and Facebook as well.
Read MoreThe Paradoxical Musical Life
I just came back from our KMTA conference where one of the college faculty on a panel answered the question, “How do you prepare a student who wants to study music?” with a “Well, I honestly don’t know if I would recommend a career in music these days.” While what she said might have been shocking to some, she went on to say some very valuable things about developing all the interests you have when you are college age and then seeing where that takes you rather than choosing too early to only focus on just one thing. Jobs are hard to come by now in the arts was her main point.
So, I was very excited to get this article by Bradley Sowash who speaks to this exact point. Please read this excellent article to help your own career as well as the career path of your students.
The Paradoxical Music Life
Sometimes the seemingly random path we travel as musicians comes around to reveal a larger, more organized pattern in hindsight. Let me illustrate how my own experience came around sideways to lifelong goals. My childhood dream was to be the next Aaron Copland or George Gershwin – an American composer that doesn’t just live here but in the fuller sense, writes concert music influenced by our American traditions. After college, I was naively surprised upon moving to New York City with a music degree and a box of compositions that the job category of “full-time freelance American composer” didn’t exist. So, I worked as a jazz pianist and dance accompanist for the next 20 years building a reputation along the way as a “concert” concert and recording artist who played in art centers and churches and not just behind fica trees in restaurants and lobbies.Of course, I continued to compose during this time – mostly solo piano for myself but also for choreographers, independent filmmakers and church musicians, but the bulk of my music making necessarily centered around gigs in order to make a living.
Read MoreDistractions: From the same device for work and play
I struggle with distractions like everyone else, but as an entreprenuer and self-employed individual, distractions can mean a loss of money or the slowing of a project. I thought Seth Godin had a great explanation for my specific situation:
One reason for this confusion [being engaged with activities that feel like work, but aren't], is that we’re often using precisely the same device to do our work as we are to distract ourselves from our work. The distractions come along with the productivity. The boss (and even our honest selves) would probably freak out if we took hours of ping pong breaks while at the office, but spending the same amount of time engaged with others online is easier to rationalize.
Seth goes on to propose using separate devises for play and work, but I don’t think that will help me. I’m not by games, but rather choosing to work on urgent things rather than important things (here’s a slideshow explaining the difference). I know there are programs which lock you out of things like Facebook, email, etc. so that you can only work on one thing at a time, but I fear that’s just a crutch and fake way of developing discipline and focus! At any rate, the above paragraph just helped me identify my production enemy and might help me draw lines on the battlefield of focus.
I’d love to hear how you keep yourselves from distractions. Please share below!
Read MoreComposer Institute 2012
The Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute offers a unique week-long intensive immersion into the world of a major American symphony orchestra. The next Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute will take place January 2-7, 2012. The scores and application must be postmarked by April 15th, 2011.
Under the guidance of composer Aaron Jay Kernis, up to nine composers will have orchestral works rehearsed and performed by the Minnesota Orchestra and will participate in a series of seminars on musical, career, business and professional development issues.
Composers receive consultations with Kernis and Music Director Osmo Vänskä before and after the rehearsals. They also meet with Orchestra members and attend small-group sessions with leading music industry professionals. Composers’ travel and hotel will be provided.
All works selected for the Institute will be performed in a public concert, conducted by Music Director Osmo Vänskä on Friday, January 6, 2012, 8 pm.
Here are some details of the 2010 institute:
Seven composers were selected as participants in the Minnesota Orchestra’s 10th Annual Composer Institute. Chosen from a pool of 167 candidates through a competitive process, these seven composers hail from locations throughout the U.S., and their works represent a variety of musical styles. They are:
Taylor Brizendine (Los Angeles, CA): MANDRAGORA OFFICINARUM
Wang Jie (Phildelphia, PA): SYMPHONY #1
Polina Nazaykinskaya (Austin, TX): WINTER BELLS
Clint Needham (Bloomington, IN): THE BODY ELECTRIC
Ben Phelps (Los Angeles, CA): OVERTURE MAXIMUS
Narong Prangcharoen (Kansas City, MO): NAMASKAR
David Weaver (Philadelphia, PA): MUTATIS MUTANDIS
These seven composers travelled to Minneapolis for six days of rehearsals, seminars and tutoring sessions from October 24 to 30, 2010, culminating in a public Future Classics concert of their works with The Minnesota Orchestra led by the Orchestra’s Music Director Osmo Vänskä.
“We received dozens of exceptionally-crafted scores, which made the final choices difficult,” says Composer Institute Director Aaron Jay Kernis. “The high quality of submissions confirms what we know from past Institutes: the future of new orchestral music is vibrant and strong.” The distinguished jury consisted of composers Augusta Read Thomas, Bright Sheng, former Institute participant Stacy Garrop and Minnesota Orchestra Assistant Conductor Courtney Lewis. Aaron Jay Kernis chaired the panel.
Read More2011 Piano Explorer Composition Contest
The 2011 Composition Contest theme is any interesting one: “Musical Instruments.” The January Piano Explorer says this about the contest:
Every instrument has a different sound and character. Some are deep and serious, while others are bright and sparkly. Some are perfect for quick-moving, flashy passages, and some are best for slow bass lines.
Pick an instrument and write a piece that describes the instrument you chose. Your piece must be written for piano, but try to make the piano sound like the instrument you picked. On the back of your music, write a few sentences to explain how the music depicts the instrument.
Here are some tips provided from the magazine and from me:
- Listen to some music played by the instrument to get to know its sound. (YouTube is good for this.)
- Consider the range of the instrument. Does it play high notes or low notes? What is the lowest and highest note it can play?
- How loud or soft does the instrument play? This can set the dynamics for your piece.
- You can choose any instrument, not just those found in orchestras. Think about instruments used in folk music or in different parts of the world.
- Think about how the instrument makes its sound: Can it be plucked (staccato)? Is its sound made by blowing (consider some breathing points), a bow, hitting, etc.?
Here are the rules:
- You or your teacher must subscribe to Piano Explorer.
- Only solo piano music will be considered.
- Write your name, age, address, phone number, and teacher’s name on the back of the music.
- All submissions must be postmarked or faxed by the deadline: March 15, 2011.
- All compositions must be written by students. (Parents and teacher may help write down the notes.)
- do not quote other pieces of music in your compositions.
- Keep a copy of the music for yourself.
- Judging is based on creativity, musical ideas, and how well the music applies the contest theme.
Good luck students!
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