Workshop #21 Young Composers & Improvisors Workshop Recordings

I started just with putting notes together, moving it around and I made a composition I really like. I started using pizz and it sounds really good now. I am telling a story of a person walking alone at night and he is sad. I think the main instrument in my piece is the flute. I love composing music because I feel really free and happy and I can do whatever I want. No one has power over me saying it has to be about... I like feeling free! One of my challenges was finding a good chord progresiion through the entire piece. Composing for orchestra was much harder this year because we had to compose for many more people. Last year all we had to do was compose for 6 people. I liked the challenge though.

I began with a melody and then I had to fit the chord progression in. I also wanted to make it sound tangled, like a Tangled Web, so I had to make it sound not quite perfect. The idea behind the title is that lots of things in life are tangled and messed up. I also wanted to put across that if you try hard, you might be able to un-tangle it. I have learned in music there are so many different pieces in a song. Melody, harmony, chord progression and so many other things. Composing for an entire orchestra was really cool because we had to think about which instruments need to have a part and how long before another instrument should play.

I wanted to make more of a memorizable melody than my last composition. I feel like my composition has more of a theme this time because the ABA sections of my piece are more the same and go well together. The Violin, Oboe and Viola play my main melody. I wanted to name my piece Sailing in the Caribbean because whenever I play pizzicato it sounds like the Caribbean. I really like composing music. It is a lot easier to compose music than playing what you composed or playing from a composer. It is fun to compose music because you can hear and make up your own melodies. At the beginning it was hard to think of a main melody. But once I figured out my A section it was easy to think of a B section, so as my C section. Composing music is exciting and fun. I am excited to hear how the ensemble from Europe is going to play our pieces!

I started with nothing really, I started to think of my favorite songs and the chorus and went form there, but I changed the music more to fit my taste. My main instrument is the clarinet and I choose the clarinet because it has a mysterious yet exciting sound. I have learned many things from music class. One of the thingsthat i have enjoyed learning washow to make a melody and chorus. My challenges throught making my music peice was making the music flow together, like water. I thought it was incredibly fun to have made music for an orchestra because you don’t get a chance like that everyday.

First we started out by making chord progressions. Then we add a melody. Then we just kept adding on and making our pieces better. My title explains my piece, sort of. I called my piece Backup because it reminds me of someone not too important but they are still noticed. Over this year I learned you have to give something to music in order to get something from music. I challenge for me was adding more instruments. It was hard to compose for an entire orchestra because you had to think about so much!

The process of composing my piece started with a chord progression and moved on to the melody. The melody was made around the chords so it fit really well. The violin has the main part. And the title was thought of when I was thinking of how windy it was out and how my piece changes like the winds that blow around the world. I learned that the idea of what you want can change because of the way the music is.

I started with the chord progression and then worked off of that. Starting with the chord progression was a lot easier for me because then I could listen to the piece as a “final” project then feel like its not finished. The reason I choose “The Expedition” for the name of my piece because it shows that there are ups and downs in a journey or adventure and I think the parts of my piece sound up and down. In my piece the violen has the main part. I learned a lot about having to be able to have good ideas but only choose one to incorperate into the piece. Also having done the first composition I knew more. The hardest part was making sure there were no clashs. Its also hard to compose for a whole orchestra because you have to think about not clashing and not overdoing it.

I started with a chord progression that I made with Miles. Then with that base, I made a repetitive A section. Then I made a smoothish B section and then I based my C section off of pizzacato. My piece is very fast paced, hence the name ‘Rush Hour.’ Composing for orchestra was fun adding the different instruments and composing for all of them.

I started with my chord progression then I moved to the melody. It was easy for me to put in the melody. I wanted the pieces to be spread out among the instruments, so I made sure that it still sounded good. I named my piece waterfall because it starts out with a drip drop drip drop kind of thing, then the water starts to rush and then back down again. Composing is much easier now the second time because I know how to fit in the instruments better now. I had abit of trouble putting in the c section, but I over came that. It felt amazing knowing that my music was going to have time and effort put into playing it. I knew that I had to put in time and effort to, but that means that it would be easier for them so I did it.

I started with making the chord progression. Then I did the melody. After that I had to try to fit the melody with the chords. The instruments that have the main part are the clarinet. I want the audience to know that I had some problems a long the way with my piece. I learned that it can be a lot of work composing a song and how hard it can be. I also learned that it takes a lot of time. I feel like I am really a composer because my music is going to be played be professional musicians.

I started by making a main melody then I started putting down notes in chords. After that I made a B section then I went back to my A section. My flute is the main instrument and at the beginning it has a solo. My piece is called Zebrafish because it is as swift as a fish and as fast as a Zebra. It has been hard at times and easer at other times. One thing I got is a ending. One challenge I had was chords.

I started with a funky melody. I fit it with some groovy chords and It all came together. I added on some more melodies and chord progressions and it sounded radical. I wanted to make my piece become a war between brass and strings, all of the other instrument families tried to keep them from fighting. That is why my piece is called Brutal Beethoven. I am very happy with my work throughout the year, I never got upset. It was very pressuring for me to create a musical piece for an orchestra. I wanted my piece to be worthy for them. It really pushed me to do my best work.

When I started to compose my piece I didn’t like it so I started all over. I made a completely new melody and everything. When I came up with this version, I knew that I had to use it. In my piece, the woodwinds and the strings have the main part. I called my piece Under the Sun because I think that it is very upbeat like how you feel on a sunny day. Composing music has been so much fun and I liked it a lot. Through composing music I have learned a lot about reading notes. A challenge I had in writing my piece was harmonizing the families and the instruments within the families. Composing for an entire orchestra has been fun because I got to have more instruments play in my piece and also I could organize the families of instruments.

I started by only using one intrument, and then when I got a melody that I liked I made chords to go with it. My piece is not super fast paced. The strings have the main melody. I really liked composing music this year. It has been a fun expierence, and I have learned a lot about notes and symbols. I had trouble seperating the different sections. Composing for full orchestra was hard because I had to write parts for all the different families of instruments.

At first, I made my main melody using notes that sounded good together and then I changed it so that it sounded better. I tried to make most of my notes consonances, and that made my piece sound really good. Then afterwards I added background pieces. The Violin and Clarinet have pretty big parts. My piece is called The Surprise Visit and I think that it is a really good name for my piece because at first, it is really fast and quiet, but then it gets really loud, which is kind of like the surprise. I learned that if you want your piece to be really good, you need to spend more time on it tweeking note. Since I spent lots of time on my piece, I think it turned out just the way I wanted it to turn out and now I am very happy with my piece.

Well, I always like to mess around and start with something simple. At the end it is about the donkey walking into the water slowly and then jumps out and a wave comes and splashes him and then he jumps because he is cold and slips on something and falls into the water and then running out to the shallow water and then he lays down there.

I began with the melody.Then I had to find the right chords to go with it. I had a really hard time finding the right chords, but after I did, it was easy to compose this piece. I put the viola as the main instrument. I called it night and day, because the beginning is dark and the end is light. When I was composing, I felt like I had so many responsibilities, but I liked it. I have learned that composing is hard, but fun. Really fun. I think my only notable challenge was finding the right chords to go with my melody. It took a really long time to find the chords, but I eventually did. Composing for a whole orchestra was harder than I thought. It took up a lot more of my time than the other piece I wrote and that was for six instruments, and it was really hard. I think composing for the orchestra is hard, but satisfying in the end when you finally finish and hear it performed.

I started with a chord progression that started with the home note, C. I started building with notes and putting them together to make a melody that sounded good. An important thing about my piece is that it has different tempos and feelings that reflect through the song. I’ve learned how to read notes witch helps me play the saxophone and make my composition faster. It was hard to do that at first because there were so many instruments to perfect. It was hard to keep track of everything but I made a few adjustments and it worked out.

I started with my melody, and just put a few notes around. I listened to it, and it sounded kind of sad, but peaceful. My last piece was energetic and happy, so I wanted to take a different approach. My piece reminded me of a time I was in the woods at night, and it felt relaxing and peaceful. Even though it was silent in the woods, I felt like I could hear beautiful music. Sad, but beautiful. I wanted to reflect that in my piece. I learned that there are different sections of music, and each song has a personality. One challenge I had was that I couldn’t figure out where to add the pizzicato, but after spending 2 nights on it, I figured it out. Composing for a whole orchestra meant that I had to be mindful of how loud each instrument was.

I started by making a melody and then built everything around that melody. Then I made chords by seeing what notes were in the melody and matched them with other compatible notes. The title of my piece was named purified jump because it has a lot of jump in it. By that I mean it sounds likes BOP BOP BOP, and it is very jumpy. It has been awesome composing music. I have learned not to just to throw notes on a staff. I have learned concepts and those concepts help me. I had challenges spacing out my instruments because it started with them bunched up. So basically I had to rewrite a lot because I needed space. It was amazing composing for a whole orchestra. This was a experience not a lot of 11 year old kids get to have, and I learned so much.

I started my piece with a chord progression, and went off from there. The chord progression I made was for my main melody, but then I switched it to part B. The main instruments in this peice are the clarinets and flutes. I chose them because I liked the way they sounded and they fit into my peice. The title of my peice is “The Sea” because my peice reminds me of the sea. This year I have learned a lot from composing music. It is harder than it looks. You have to make sure everything matches, and it all sounds good. My biggest challenge in making my peice was finding something I liked. I made one thing, loved it, then the next day deleted it because I didn’t like it anymore. It was hard to find something just right. It is really hard to compose for an entire orchestra. You have to make a part for every instrument. It really isn’t easy!

I started with a chord progression and moved from there. The Strings and woodwinds have the main part. It has been an interesting experience composing this year. One of my biggest challenges was using enough rests.

While I was composing my piece I started with a chord progression. Then for about 3 measures I had a melody and then I started my A section. I just started to put down notes that did not clash a lot. I think my piece represents if a beat could have a melody this would be that melody. Through composing music I have learned that music can sound bad at the beginning but if you try hard it can be phenomenal. While I was writing my piece it was hard for me to incorporate all of the instruments.

I think composing is really good because when we are making our pieces Matt helps us step by step and then we go from there. My piece is very independent for each family of instruments. Sometimes the families play together, and sometimes they play by themselves. I have learned that it takes longer than you think it does. You have to have patience. I also learned tat you have to make sure that each little bit sounds good because if not all of it does it can sound completely wrong. I had challenges writing about where and how I should add something. At first I thought it was going to be really hard to write for orchestra but then after Matt taught us how to make it sound good it was really fun and not to challenging.

In the beginning I made a chord progression and worked off of that. I then made a melody and I then added a lot more. The violin, bass, bassoon, and clarinet have the main parts of the song. This year it has been really fun to compose. I get to write music while hanging with my friends. I get to jam and learn at the same time. It really has been a fun year. I think it was really cool. I get to write for thirty people. I also got to write for many different instruments which is cool.

I started my piece with a chord progression. Later, I had to fit the perfect melody to fit the chords each measure. It took a long time but I am happy that I took so much time and effort on my piece. The violin and oboe are playing the main parts. I called my piece “Rabbit Race” because it’s a very jumpy piece and I thought it sounded like rabbits jumping around trying to get ahead of each other. I thought it told a story to me that they are jumping for there lives. I learned that you can do anything that you want with your music, you can change anything because it’s all about what you want to do. One challenge that I had in composing my piece was when I was adding new parts because I didn’t add notes that fit the chord progression and I had to fix it. I was a little nervous when I heard that we were getting our pieces played by an entire orchestra but I was really excited at the same time.

I started with a chord progression and used notes that went well with the chords. The Trumpet and Flute have the most main parts. I thought they stand out a lot so it would be good for the main melody. I have learned that you have to have a good balance of everything in your piece. I had a challenge when making the chord progression because I was writing my first piece with chords and I was a little confused about making chords. I think its awesome having a professional orchestra play my piece!

I had to make my melody fit with chords and it was hard. My piece is called Sway because let it take you away the main part is the flute Composing was great and I loved making my piece. I have learned that you have to let music make itself.

Composing a piece of music is hard. It was hard the first time and it was hard again this time. I started out with a chord progression and tried to keep it even with so many instruments to use. My piece tells a story about how much I like Cheeseburgers, and a lot of cheeseburgers could form an army of cheeseburgers. Which is why I called it cheeseburger army.

I just started putting notes in random places and it worked out pretty well. My main melody changes a lot for the main instrument. I have learned that I get a lot from music in life. One of the biggest challenges in writing my composition was probably writing the program notes.

I started my piece with the melody. Based on the melody, I came up with a chord progression that fit the piece. Then I added instruments with other melodic parts, and more backround parts. And finally, I went over every note of my piece to make sure that they fit. The main melody switches throughout the piece. In the first A section, the strings have the melody. Then in the second A section, the woodwinds do. And in the last A section, they both come in unison. I titled my piece Enlightened, then Mystified, to explain the transition from the A section to the B section, and from the A section to the C section. I have learned that it’s really important that I listen to the dissonances in my piece, because they can cause problems. It was cool to compose for a whole orchestra because it was new and fun to compose for a lot of different instruments.

I began with a chord progression. I think it is easier to make a melody first and then add a chord progression, but this time I decided to try something else. I used the Clarinet and the Violin for my main melody. I really like composing my own music. I have learned a lot about how music works and different ways to compose. I also learned that most music has a structure, its not just random. I think it was challenging to use all of the instruments at least once. It was really hard to figure out how everything fits together.

I started with my main melody but as my piece took flight my main melody kept changing but some parts stayed the same. The Flute and the Trombone play my main melody. My piece is called Round and Round the Merry-Go-Round. I named it this because it has a repeating melody that goes round and round. Music was really fun this year, I learned that there is so much more to making a song than just throwing words and notes on a page.

When I started my piece I was just using random notes. When I thought that I was going to fail Matt told me how to make the notes fit. I started to make things connect like pieces of a puzzle, when you find the piece that goes with it it looks just right together and that is how I feel about my piece. The flute has the main part in my piece. The reson I named it carbon is because of the soft and low parts. Carbon is my dog and he is very calm sometimes and very excited other times. It was very fun to see and hear the diffrent ways people play my piece and I cant wait to do it again.

I started by just writting down random notes and then putting them together to make it sound bad and good in different places because I wanted it to sound like a story. The important things that I wanted in my peice was to make it like a story. I feel like the brass have bigger parts but everything has pretty even ones. It tells a story in the way where the sun falls out of the sky and lands in the pool and they get into a fight in the middle section and become freinds, the sun splits with a bang and the pool is sad and then time goes by and. It has been cool to compose music this year because you get to have a rare experience. I have learned that it is not easy to compose music. The challenge in my peice was how to string my story together.

I began with just putting in random notes and then I turned it into something that sounded good, in other words I did a lot of editing. Then I added the chords. Something I want my audience to know is that I called it blowing winds because it reminds me of a breeze. The instruments that have the main part are the flute,clarinet, violen and cello. Composing this year has been great. Composing for the orchestra was scary and fun at the same time.

I started my composition with my chord progression, than I tryed to find a melody that fit the chord progression. The reason I called it waffles and pancakes is because waffles and pancakes are nice and happy and so is my piece. I have learned that it is good to make mistakes because you learn from mistakes. At one point I had to change my whole chord progression because it did not fit my melody and I really liked my melody and did not want to change it. WIth composing I felt very important. It is not every day that a whole orchestra performs a piece that you made.

I started my piece with a chord progression. It has been fun composing because I get to hear real musicians play my music.

I started with the main melody. I started kind of putting notes together to make a melody. and I kept on building it up. Its named The Marching Band because it kind of sounds like it is a band at a festival playing. I have learned that putting notes together does not always work. And you have to make the insturments fit together and they have to sound good together. I feel good that I am composing for a whole orchestra.

I started with just one rhythm, then when we added more instruments, I didn’t know what to do because they didn’t fit with the melody. The clarinet, the flute, the cello, the bassoon and the violin have the main part, everything else just plays in certain places. I have learned that music takes lots of thoughts, if you just put down random notes, chances are, it’s going to sound terrible. When Matt said to add more instruments, I was worried because all the instruments played the same melody only with different notes. I wanted to make it the best that I could!

I started with a smooth beginning at first. But I really changed it overtime. What I thought was good changed over time. For example, I couldn’t decide on my song to be slow or fast. So I made it slow and fast. You can kind of think of my piece as the tortoise and the hare, racing through the forest. It gives you a better understanding of what music really is. You can really see the inside workings of music. I had trouble making sure everyone got to play their instrument. It was very different from our first pieces!