Student Composition Options

There are more and more students creating their own compositions. And there are some good ways to save them, such as audio recording or in some form of written notation. When it comes to sharing such work with others, one common way is to include the composition in a student recital. There are two excellent free notation software programs available: MuseScore and Noteflight, which allow for easy digital editing and sharing. When a student wants feedback, there are several ways to secure comments that go beyond that student’s teacher:

- Now that teachers are more accustomed to online collaborations, one option would be to send a track or clip to a colleague of the student's teacher - to get another opinion;

- Another option is to enter it in the annual VMTA Competitive Auditions, which is a well-established opportunity for such comments - VMTA has had nine composition entries since 2003 for which composition judges were retained; 

- A more intensive approach is to use the Composition Mentoring opportunity available at "MusicComp<dot>org - be sure to look a t the FAQ page there.

When you or your students have more ideas about this expanding topic, please let me know so that they can be added to the article on the VMTA website.

Happy Music-Making and Sharing!