Composer Fellowship Program

How I wish I were in high school again!  Well, not really, but if I were, I would apply to the LA Phil Composer Fellowship Program immediately.

Today I heard works by these four high school students who have been studying composition for the past two years and had their pieces performed by the LA Phil.  I was impressed with the complexity and varied nuances of the works, but also with their "listenability" factor.

When I was in high school, I had no idea that I was interested in composing, and even if I was, I would have been held back by the handwriting method of getting ideas onto paper.  Also not knowing music theory would have been a great hindrance to me at the time.  I am so pleased that these young people have the opportunities that they do.

Sunday in the Life of a Musician

Traditionally musicians have worked Sundays.  The church was probably the original employer of composers and performers.  This morning a quartet played my arrangement of What Wondrous Love is This for our Lenten church service.  I felt that it went very well, and people were especially complimentary about the arrangement.

This afternoon I donned my recorder-player hat and joined the Village Pipers for a church fundraiser by providing background music for a garden tour.  We were stationed at one house and played our Renaissance music for several hours before we were given leave to tour the other four gardens.  For this performance I had decided to actually purchase a decent plastic recorder, so I gave it a good inaugural concert, remembering how to play B-flats and G-sharps.

Further Adventures in Music Appreciation

Last September I blogged about  teaching my upper grades the Dies Irae during our Gregorian Chant unit.  I said that it would pop up again, and this week it has - in Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique, final movement.  I wondered if the kids would recognize it, and many did.  It started playing, and I saw heads pop up and look around.