Each year we have the glorious opportunity to hear AMAZING compositions from young students who've only been taking music classes for three years (and only been working on the piano for 2 years!) and we find them full of expression, creativity, and skill. These compositional highlights are nothing short of FANTASTIC, but what's even more amazing... this year over 500 compositions were created by third-year Let's Play Music students across the USA! A tiny little army of creative, musical composer-children has just been released into the world. Happy Day! Teachers had the opportunity to send us one student's work from their studios and a panel of judges chose these favorites to share with you today:
Best Melody: Mermaid Tales by Chloe D This is a story of a shark chasing mermaids!
Best Use of Chords: The Last at Bat by Jace C You'll hear the pitch, a strike-out, and a big finish!
Best Use of ABA Form: A Walk in the Forest by Carson B In this song you'll hear 4 animals: a fast and choppy chipmunk, a happy working beaver, a low and slow moose, and a bear.
Most Original: Rodeo Heart by Kassie C You can hear horses' hooves in this tune. Kassie loves horses!
Best Story: Tuki's Island by Bella B A toucan named Tuki has lots of adventures, including this one when she's chased by a leopard and is almost eaten! Want to see if she survives? Listen to the end to find out:
Best Overall: The Dark Wizard by Brady E This evil wizard casts evil spells and you can hear how mysterious he is: Congratulations to these kids AND all who have successfully composed, published, and performed their very first piano piece! We'll be looking forward to another batch next Spring.
Let's Play Music studios have wrapped up with annual recitals, and for all of our third-year students, that meant a chance to play their very own compositions!
Students from across the continent had the opportunity to show just how far they've progressed as musicians by composing an original piece of music for piano and entering our 2016 Composition Contest.
We had many fabulous entries and want to share with you our eight fantastic winners, announced a few days ago at our 2016 Symposium. Best Use of ABA Form: Monster Trucks by Thomas. Teacher: Marnie Christensen
Most Original: The Skiers by Colton. Teacher: Karri Mickelson Colton says, "My song makes me feel like I want to go skiing. When you listen, you can hear people going up and down the hills, and people falling." Sounds like a perfect ski adventure!
Best Use of Chords: The Rattle Runnerby Jack. Teacher: Alicia Dansie Jack says, "I love to learn about animals, and there are two animals in this one. When you listen, you'll hear the hiker, the rattlesnake, and the roadrunner." Take a listen to the lively adventure they share. Chords, Honorable Mention: Quickest Racers by Kathryn Teacher: Annah Clark Kathryn describes her piece as magical. Take a listen and you'll hear why!
Chords, Honorable Mention: Keepers of the Sea by Cannon Teacher: Chandra Schmitt Did you know that dolphins can save people from sharks? Enjoy this lively musical saga that illustrates just such a tale! Best Melody: I'm The King of Everything by Ethan Teacher: Janalee Fish Take a listen and you'll agree, he's king of keyboard and vocals!
Melody, Honorable Mention: Egyptian Desert by Abigail Teacher: Nicci Lovell Enjoy being transported across the world to Egypt when you hear this piece!
BEST Composition, OVERALL: Ballerina Dancer by Julia Teacher: Lily Hight Julia says, "In the B section, you can hear the ballerina spinning around."
Nicely done, everyone! We love hearing ALL of the third-year compositions, and hope you'll keep writing new songs every year for years to come!
