Students Play to the Beat of Their Own Music

Thanks to a grant from the Irving Ceaser Foundation of ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers), instrumental students in the Milton Public Schools were able to learn the notes they play don't just appear on a staff. A weeklong composition workshop, July 12 to 16, allowed 32 students from the elementary level to the high school to learn the skill of composition.

Music teachers Dr. Noreen Diamond Burdett and Gary Good have been facilitating the workshop for four years with funding from the grant. For the previous three years, the workshop included about 60 students, but because the grant was cut this year, only 32 students participated this summer.

Burdett said students who participate in the course are students who take instrumental lessons. Composition is a new world to most of them.

"This is a brand new aspect of music to them," Burdett said. "They're used to being performers."

With students ranging from fourth grade up to high school seniors, the class was divided into two groups; Burdett taught the older students and Good worked with the younger group.

On the first day, students went over basic composition technique and wrote a piece. Burdett explained that the fist compositions are very based on structure. The students learned they can't just string together notes, much like a person can't pick a group of random words and form a logical sentence.

The students tested the logic of their compositions on day two when they performed them for the class. The rest of the week was a similar pattern of theory, composition writing and then performance. Students were also able to use a program called FINALE, which allowed them to put their notes into the computer and hear their creation.

On the final day, students chose their favorite piece and worked on it with Greg Fritze, chairperson of the Composition Department at Berklee College of Music.

"(The students) are so excited to be working with a pro," Burdett said of the master's class with Fritze. Fritze worked with each student to improve and then perform his or her piece.

Burdett said the students often gain a better understanding of the other side of music from the workshop. She said because they've done it, they understand why composers put certain aspects into their pieces. She hopes to hear students say. "I was fussy about my composition, so I better do what this person says."

Burdett plans to keep the program going in Milton. She is hopeful the grant will increase again so more students can take advantage of the opportunity to compose their own music.