Matt Podd: I feel very strongly that my place in the musical world is largely because of Music-COMP and the experience I got here.
James Stewart: I鈥檓 James Stewart and this is the student composer showcase from 开云体育 Classical. that pairs student composers with professional mentors to help them realize their musical ideas. Every year Music-COMP hosts a day of rehearsals, workshops and performances called Opus concerts that highlight Vermont students and the music they鈥檝e created. Their 39th Opus concert took place in March at the Elley-Long Music Center in Colchester. I had a chance to attend and speak with some of the participating students and educators. I also sat down with some of the leadership of Music-COMP.
Matt Podd: My name is Matt Podd, and I'm the board president.
James Stewart: , but he got his start in composition as a student here in Vermont, with Music-COMP.
Matt Podd: I was an 8th grade student where in my general music classroom, we were told we were going to compose music. I hadn't done it before and the first piece I ever wrote got selected as part of the Opus 1, the flagship concert for Music-COMP. It was a new experience for them where they were in collaboration with the American String Quartet. And ever since then I was really hooked on the whole experience. I went on to major in composition as a college student, became a mentor for Music-COMP, and then joined the board, and now I'm the board president and trying to take us into the next chapter of what we're up to.
James Stewart: Music-COMP is celebrating its 30th anniversary and Matt says this is a big year for the organization.
Matt: Podd: It's a record year for us in terms of pieces submitted for participation. Over 100 pieces were submitted and mentored through the process. It's a pretty big year just in terms of our anniversary, but also it just shows that we're still going strong with participation and the need for this in our community.
James Stewart: Out of all those submissions, 24 works were selected to be a part of Opus 39, written by students from all across Vermont.
Student 1: My piece is called 鈥淭raverse Through the Sky.鈥� It's a little, like mystical.
Student 2: 鈥�Forest run.鈥� What would like, a majestic run in the forest not just look like, but feel like?
Student 3: 鈥�First breath,鈥� it's choral, like as many dynamics of the human voice as possible.
Student 4: It's called 鈥淐anto,鈥� I used a stimulus of an Afro-Latin folk song.
James Stewart: But Opus concerts are just one day, just the tip of the iceberg. For months students have been writing, revising and working one-on-one with professional mentors..
Elizabeth LeBeau: Yeah, receiving feedback from someone else other than me has been really impactful for them.
James Stewart: That鈥檚 Elizabeth LeBeau鈥�
Elizabeth LeBeau: I teach at Middlebury Union High School.
James Stewart: Vermont educators play such an important role, interacting with students day-in and day-out and encouraging them to participate and submit their work.
Elizabeth LeBeau: Allowing students to hear their music live has been incredibly motivating for them, and I think it's just so much richer than hearing it from software. When they receive feedback, sharing it with one another and getting other viewpoints and just opening a dialogue between students. So it's a good space for reflection, just allows them to really think about what they're working towards and the structure of their piece and it's been valuable.
James Stewart: Of course the heartbeat of Music-COMP are the students themselves, who have a lot to say about their experiences writing their pieces, working with mentors and participating in the Opus concerts.
Student 3: Seeing your piece come to life, that's my actual favorite feeling in the world. And every single time I come back too, I learn new things, I build on things.
Student 5: This is my second year doing it and it's really, it's changed me as a composer, like just to go further overall in my compositions and just keep pushing myself.
Student 6: It's been a lot of fun creating your piece and like, you have a mentor to like, check everything.
Student 1: Instead of where you don't really know the answers to all of these like musical questions, there's actually someone whose job it is to answer those questions.
Student 7: Having a mentor work along side with me to bring my piece to what I wanted it to be was really amazing.
James Stewart: Music-COMP鈥檚 Opus concerts offer a unique opportunity for students to be face-to-face with performers, to work out their pieces in real time, with real professional interaction. If you, or a student in your life is interested in learning more about Music-COMP, check out their . Also on that website that was featured in the Opus 39 concert back in March. Head on over and check them out!
The Student Composer Showcase is produced in collaboration with Music-COMP, the music composition mentoring program and Lake Champlain Access Television. The (Music-COMP) is a Vermont non-profit started in 1995 that teaches students in grades 3-12 how to compose original music. Students are paired with professional composers as mentors, and over 50 works are premiered each year with professional musicians.
Performance audio was captured by
Production support for the Student Composer Showcase is provided by , a community media center serving eight towns in Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle Counties, providing a free forum for expression, and a link to local government and training. More at
