Previous KIDS COMPOSE Events Information
2010-2011 Kids Compose Event Information
Student (Kids) Finalist
Alison Albright (Summit); Jessica Carmichael (Clear Creek); Tiseok Choi (U. School); Gianna Davy (Grace and Hope Academy); Nick Dolson (St. Charles); Ben Foley (U. School); Se Min Ko (St. Charles); Finley Krauter (U. School); Lauren Leal (St. Charles); Tai Min Lee (St. Charles); Kaya McCloud (Marlin); Greta Meya (U. School); Patrick Mooney (St. Charles); Melina Raglin (U. School); Roxanna Shanla (University School); Connor Starks (U. School); Graham Todd (U. School); Joshua Tseng (U. School); Tanner Waldrip (Marlin), Sophie Young (U. School)
Student (Kids) Winners
Abbey Allen (St. Charles), John Bannec (Clear Creek), Isabel Flynn (St. Charles), Riley Halloran (St. Charles), Jaime Lee (Childs), Grace Mullins (St. Charles), Alan Nguyen (St. Charles), Sam Stright (U. School)
IU Composer Winners
Orchestra: Sang Mi Ahn, Carlo Frizzo
Band: Francisco Alvarez, Timothy Miller
Chamber Orchestra
Performance date: Feb. 9, 2011
Place: Musical Arts Center (MAC)
Time: 10:00am
Program Notes:
"Train and Wild Ride" by Sang Mi Ahn
Train and Wild Ride is written for the Kids Compose project at IU Jacobs School of Music. The melodies in this arrangement are composed by Alan Nguyen and Sam Stright. When I first saw their melodies, I realized immediately that they would work well together in a single composition. Both Alan's and Sam's melodies are based on D, and the titles of their melodies, Train (by Alan) and Wild Ride (by Sam) also share the idea of a journey. Alan’s lively melody provides a great opening theme and Sam’s energetic melody is suitable for building up the climax of the piece. To enhance the characteristics of each melody, I arranged each melody with a different orchestration. For Alan's melody, I used winds, strings, and the harp to set up a playful and dreamy mood. For Sam’s melody, I used the brass to bring out the majestic and masculine characteristics of the melody and to build up to the climax. The repeated notes in the strings accompanying Alan’s melody give a sonic impression of the railway. After introducing both melodies in their original forms, I used fragments of each melody to create more dialogue between the smaller musical units and to create a more varied texture.
Train and Wild Ride is also inspired by a children's animation I watched when I was little but whose title I cannot recall. In the animation, I remember scenes in which I saw a train flying in space. In this piece, I hope audiences can freely imagine riding on their own trains and traveling through the landscape of their dreams.
"Midnight Star Party" by Vini Frizzo
“Midnight Star Party” in “Spring Time” is an orchestral arrangment of two melodies. The first melody heard, “Midnight Star Party” was composed by Grace Mullins. Creating celebrietory images of magic in the heavens, Grace employs a rhythmic hemiola into her melody that adds a sense of drive and excitement. This lively melody is incredibly catchy and is presented twice encomposing the first half of the work. The second melody, “Spring Time” by Jamie Lee immediately
follows the climax concluding the first half of the piece. This theme with its long flowing lines has an endearing sweetness that is both alluring and meaningful. The work as a whole is a colorful expression of the youthful exurberance and optimism that I found in Grace’s and Jamie’s music. My hope is that I was able to accentuate the natural magnetism and inspriation of their melodies.
Performance date: Feb. 16, 2011
Place: Musical Arts Center (MAC)
Time: 10:00am
Program Notes:
"Spring Stroll Through the Meadow" by Tim Miller
Spring Stroll Through the Meadow combines two short melodies written by Abby Allen and John Bannee, both elementary students in Bloomington, IN. For this short work, I wanted both young students to feel invested in this larger orchestrated piece for band that uses their melodies. I asked each student about what their favorite instruments were and what kind of music they liked, along with other ideas about their feelings and ideas they were thinking when writing their melodies, and wanted to make sure to evoke them in the piece. In this case, Abby said her favorite instrument was the Glockenspiel and Flute, so in the first half of the piece, you will hear portions of her melody in both of these instruments. Throughout the first half of the piece, the Trumpet leads the band in a journey of growth and springtime, leading to an exciting arch of brass chords and a fanfare.
John’s melody seemed to evoke a jazzy type quality too it and I felt it would fit perfectly in the Alto Saxophone. After speaking with John, I discovered that his favorite instrument was the Saxophone and he really like jazz music! So in the second half of the piece, the music begins with a jazzy melodic figure in the Bassoons and Alto Saxophone. Quickly the full band takes John’s melody and reaches a moment of gorgeous fulfillment followed by a little surprise at the end.
"Dragon in the Rain" by Francisco Cortés-Álvarez
Once upon a time in the Far East there was a little and colorful village inhabited by hard working and happy people. They were farmers, and they harvest rice year after year, but one year they had a terrible drought and they were worried about their crops. How could they survive without a successful harvest? So, the wisest men went on a long journey to the most treacherous mountain on the horizon to find the Ancient Dragon of Good Luck. After long days of danger they found the dragon; and the dragon heard their plea for water. The dragon wanted to see the people happy, not worried, so he tried his best to help, but the dragon feared that he would not be able and began to cry.
This musical piece is about the day after the wise men talked with the dragon. When suddenly from the deep of the horizon the dragon appeared magnificently flying over the little village. He was crying; crying with magical tears. As the dying crops were touched by the magical tears they instantaneously became the freshest crops in the world; and since that day the town became wealthy and famous for harvesting the best rice in the word.
“Dragon in the Rain” is the sum of “Drip Drop Rain Drop” composed by Isabel Flynn and “Mystical Dragon” composed by Riley Halloran.
2009-2010 KIDS COMPOSE Event Information
Student (Kids) Winners
Claire Janda (Childs), Liz McHaley (Clear Creek), Lauren Cox (St. Charles), Hannah Jesseph (St. Charles), Betsy Beggs (Childs), Olivia Evans (University), Ayanna Pardieck (University), Nicole Haseman (University), Max Mesczer (Binford), Jean Lee (Childs)
IU Composer Winners
Adam Haws, Brendan Faegre, Max Grafe, Melody Eotvos
2008-2009 KIDS COMPOSE Event Information
Student (Kids) Winners
F. Javier Rodriguez (grade 6, Templeton), Mac Vogelsang (grade 6, University), Wesley Oliver (grade 4, Arlington Heights), Lauren Bauman (grade 3, St. Charles), Javier Fuentes-Rohwer (grade 6, Childs), Holly Barnhart (grade 6, University), Allison Neal (grade 5, Childs), Walter Friesel (grade 5, St. Charles).
IU Composer Winners
Joshua Groffman, Lawrence Chappell Kingsland, Elizabeth Ogonek, Jonathan Sokol
Recordings from the event:
A Snatch of Song, a Flash of Fire Orchestration: Joshua Groffman
Escape Orchestration: Lawrence Chappell Kingsland
Prancing Horse/Song in G Minor Orchestration: Jonathan Sokol
2007-2008 KIDS COMPOSE Event Information
Student (Kids) Winners
Megan Coghlan (grade 6, St. Charles); Luke Crowe (grade 5, Childs); Nicholas May (grade 3, University); Danielle Davila (grade 4, St. Charles); Korina Flater (grade 5, Fairview); Melody Herzig (grade 2, Marlin); Jacob Huston (grade 6 Homeschool); Alexis Butcher (grade 5, Summit)
IU Composer Winners
Elliott Bark, Jonathan Graybill, Jeffrey Stanek, David Werfelmann
Recordings from the event:
Jogging Girl and Marching Dog Orchestration: Elliott Bark
Untitled/The Dark Night Orchestration: Jonathan Graybill
The Musical Art of Chinese Polka Orchestration: Jeffrey Stanek
Yeah! Orchestration: David Werfelmann
2006-2007 KIDS COMPOSE Event Information
Student (Kids) Winners
Sarah Williams (grade 4, University); Agnes Zhu (grade 5, Summitt); Julia Telthorst (grade 3, St. Charles); Andrew Nguyen (grade 4, St. Charles); Payton Werner (grade 5, Homeschool); Walter Friesel (grade 3, St. Charles); Anna Raphael (grade 2, University School); John Weiss (grade 2, Rogers)
IU Composer Winners
Band: Eric Knechtges, David Farrell; Orchestra: Laura Kramer, Matthew Peterson
Recordings from the event:
NaOH Airplanes Orchestration: David Farrell
Blooming Lavender Orchestration: Laura M. Kramer
The Dawn Hour Orchestration: Matthew Peterson