Our composers at the Haskell Opera House (2013)
Music composition is woven into the music literacy of our upper elementary students or grades 3-5. Students compose using rhythms and tones they can first solfege, sight sing, improvise, and then read. This process of learning to read music (Conversational Solfege) ensures students have an aural understanding of what they are writing - much like understanding a language conversationally before being asked to read or write it. In this way, students can easily hear in their head or sing what they have written without having to rely on playing it on an instrument to know what it sounds like. I tell students they are learning to hear with their eyes and see with their ears. Hand-written compositions are then transferred to computer using music notation software where students can choose the instruments to perform their compositions and print a polished manuscript of their creative work. Students in fourth and fifth grade additionally use My Inside Music, a password protected online composition program, to further their education in composing. Students may access this program from any computer with internet access and work at their own pace. Additionally, Champlain Elementary School is a member of Music-COMP, online forum for students to post their compositions and receive feedback from composer mentors. Music-COMP also provides professional development for the teacher members and support for music composition in the classroom.
Composers Club
Students who would like additional experience in music composition may join the Composers Club for fourth and fifth grade students. This is an after school club run by Ms. Greene which meets once a week usually starting in January (see below for the latest dates and times). Students in the composers club have the opportunity to submit their work to Music-COMP, an online forum for students to post their compositions and receive composer mentor feedback. Music-COMP also hosts two concerts featuring a live performance of the best student work (Opus concerts) elementary through high school in the fall and spring of each school year.
Go to http://www.music-comp.org/ to learn more about Music-COMP.
Composers Club 2017 Dates and Times:
Thursday's from 2:50-3:45 PM
Meeting dates: January 12, 19, 26; February 2, 9, 16, 23; March 9, 16, 23; April 6, 2017
May 15, 2017 Opus 32 Concert at Elley-Long Music Center, Colchester, VT
Composers Club
Students who would like additional experience in music composition may join the Composers Club for fourth and fifth grade students. This is an after school club run by Ms. Greene which meets once a week usually starting in January (see below for the latest dates and times). Students in the composers club have the opportunity to submit their work to Music-COMP, an online forum for students to post their compositions and receive composer mentor feedback. Music-COMP also hosts two concerts featuring a live performance of the best student work (Opus concerts) elementary through high school in the fall and spring of each school year.
Go to http://www.music-comp.org/ to learn more about Music-COMP.
Composers Club 2017 Dates and Times:
Thursday's from 2:50-3:45 PM
Meeting dates: January 12, 19, 26; February 2, 9, 16, 23; March 9, 16, 23; April 6, 2017
May 15, 2017 Opus 32 Concert at Elley-Long Music Center, Colchester, VT