As a music instructor, Kathy Miller knows the road to a winning composition is a long and hard one.
“It's an ongoing project and I usually have a pretty good idea who will win,” Miller said.
Miller's sixth sense proved true when two of her students won first and second place in the Instrumental Music Senior Division at the 2008 Creating Original Music Project for student composers, or COMP.
Elizabeth Salley of Saint Robert received a $1,000 cash award for her first-place win at the awards ceremony March 15 and Carly McClain, also of St.t Robert, received a $750 cash award for her second-place win. More than 60 students in grades kindergarten through high school from across Missouri entered the competition.
Students who send entries into COMP have to mail a copy of their composition and a recording to COMP at the University of Missouri in Columbia a January deadline, Miller said.
She entered three of her students in COMP, as students cannot enter themselves and have to be entered under the instructor’s name. Her third student was fourth-grader Sage Freter of Rolla. Freter won second in the K-5 Instrumental Division. Miller played Freter’s composition, titled “Dance of the Evil Ladybug” at the awards ceremony,
Miller’s students begin writing their compositions in the spring and do most of their work in the summer when school is out. They finish up in the fall when most deadlines occur.
A composition takes about six months to finish and can be vocal or instrumental, she said.
Students begin the process of writing a composition by writing original ideas and then picking through them.
“Part of a winning composition is great ideas,” Miller said. “The idea stage is where they decide what to do and what key to do it in.”
Students then write the melody and add an accompaniment.
Then students experiment with their composition and tweak sections, Miller said.
Miller was fully involved in the process as she edited their compositions weekly as well as adding suggestions. She also kept backup copies of her students’ compositions. She enters her students into various competitions each year and has taught Salley for around nine years and McClain for over 10 years.
“I'm thrilled for them,” Miller said. “I'm always very happy seeing my students reach the finish line. It’s like climbing Mount Everest.”
Miller has a bachelor of music in piano, voice and clarinet from Southwest Baptist University. She has 25 years of experience as a piano teacher and has been teaching composition for the past 15 to 20 years. She was inspired to teach composition by “What to Listen for in Music,” a book by Aaron Copeland.
“I realized for my students to truly understand music they needed to write a little themselves,” Miller said.
She has a total of 35 students with around 10 first-year students who are learning the composition software and about 15 upper-level students who are actually writing compositions.
Miller said she has three or four students who could become COMP winners.
“My role is like that of an Olympic coach,” she said. “I just keep pushing them.”
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As a music instructor, Kathy Miller knows the road to a winning composition is a long and hard one.
“It's an ongoing project and I usually have a pretty good idea who will win,” Miller said.
Miller's sixth sense proved true when two of her students won first and second place in the Instrumental Music Senior Division at the 2008 Creating Original Music Project for student composers, or COMP.
Elizabeth Salley of Saint Robert received a $1,000 cash award for her first-place win at the awards ceremony March 15 and Carly McClain, also of St.t Robert, received a $750 cash award for her second-place win. More than 60 students in grades kindergarten through high school from across Missouri entered the competition.
Students who send entries into COMP have to mail a copy of their composition and a recording to COMP at the University of Missouri in Columbia a January deadline, Miller said.
She entered three of her students in COMP, as students cannot enter themselves and have to be entered under the instructor’s name. Her third student was fourth-grader Sage Freter of Rolla. Freter won second in the K-5 Instrumental Division. Miller played Freter’s composition, titled “Dance of the Evil Ladybug” at the awards ceremony,
Miller’s students begin writing their compositions in the spring and do most of their work in the summer when school is out. They finish up in the fall when most deadlines occur.
A composition takes about six months to finish and can be vocal or instrumental, she said.
Students begin the process of writing a composition by writing original ideas and then picking through them.
“Part of a winning composition is great ideas,” Miller said. “The idea stage is where they decide what to do and what key to do it in.”
Students then write the melody and add an accompaniment.
Then students experiment with their composition and tweak sections, Miller said.
Miller was fully involved in the process as she edited their compositions weekly as well as adding suggestions. She also kept backup copies of her students’ compositions. She enters her students into various competitions each year and has taught Salley for around nine years and McClain for over 10 years.
“I'm thrilled for them,” Miller said. “I'm always very happy seeing my students reach the finish line. It’s like climbing Mount Everest.”
Miller has a bachelor of music in piano, voice and clarinet from Southwest Baptist University. She has 25 years of experience as a piano teacher and has been teaching composition for the past 15 to 20 years. She was inspired to teach composition by “What to Listen for in Music,” a book by Aaron Copeland.
“I realized for my students to truly understand music they needed to write a little themselves,” Miller said.
She has a total of 35 students with around 10 first-year students who are learning the composition software and about 15 upper-level students who are actually writing compositions.
Miller said she has three or four students who could become COMP winners.
“My role is like that of an Olympic coach,” she said. “I just keep pushing them.”
