PUTNEY — Five composers from the sixth grade at The Grammar School, working with their teacher, Alli Lubin, are entered in Music-COMP's Opus 29 competition.
The Grammar School has participated in Music-COMP and the bi-annual Opus Competitions for the past 13 years. In that time, 31 TGS students have had their pieces selected to be played in a live concert by professional musicians.
As its website explains, “The purpose of Music-COMP is to encourage and support students in composing and arranging music. A community of professional composers, teachers, pre-service educators, and students engage in mentoring and online discussion of student work.”
TGS music director Lubin is one of the project's pioneers.
This year's entrants from The Grammar School are Wells Mundell-Wood and Amelia Opsahl, Maddie Aho and Viva Vadim, and Cassidy Martin.
The instrumentation for Opus 29 is brass, piano, percussion, and voice. The selected pieces will be performed live by professional musicians in the Opus 29 Concert on Jan. 12, 2015, at Elley-Long Music Center at St. Michael's College in Colchester.
According to Lubin, the students approach their compositions with skill, energy, and excitement.
“No matter who wins the competition, everyone shares in the rewarding experience. Lives have been changed by involvement in this program. It empowers students to think independently, dare to be creative, work with peers, and experience mentoring via the Internet, all addressing the needs and values of our 21st century learners.”
For more information about Music-COMP program, visit music-comp.org/performances/opus-29-info.html.