Composition programs have reputations to sustain and want kids who then get into great schools, with which their summer program can appear on resumes I canât think of any summer composition program that would accept a student for any reason other than talent/potential and certainly not for money.
If your daughter is a rising senior, the one thing to think about is having a good recording of a good piece of work, for applications. She will need 3-4 total but they wonât all have to be performed and recorded live.
Editing to add: the best way to avoid feeling unsure about talent/potential might be to have a teacher, and if at all possible, attend a conservatory prep or other program. I realize geography can be a problem but sometimes a prof. will teach online-? And money was tight for us so we paid for theory and lessons in the last two years of high school.
Just wanted to report that my son just returned from the one-week young composers program at CIM and greatly enjoyed it. Terrific musicians performed their pieces, which were recorded, and they all received useful feedback from both the instructors and musicians. He described this as an intermediate level program since they were assigned instruments/ensembles and had to submit their scores BEFORE the program began.
So glad he enjoyed it! Good for people to know that it was a good program for him.
It is a common format, especially for a short one week program, to be assigned instrumentation, then write a piece before the program. Probably the most common. (A school like Walden, which is 6 weeks, allows enough time to write a full piece on site.)
.Were the musicians fellow students or a professional ensemble?
Wondering why you think CIMâs is an intermediate program? Is it a high school program, specifically? There are programs geared to masterâs and doctoral students but in the high school realm, it sounds like CIM was a good choice!
At CIM the student compositions were performed by a professional ensemble, the Ars Futura Ensemble. Yes, all the students were high school. My son thought it was âintermediateâ mainly because the expectation was that they already had composition experience (e.g., required submission of scores for acceptance, and had to be able to compose for assigned instrumentation.) That may not be an accurate assessment of level since he/we are new to this whole world!
In contrast, the summer program he did last year at Illinois Wesleyan U - which was perfect for him- had a range of students from those whoâd never composed but wanted to learn, to those whoâd written pieces already. And no scores required to be admitted. So great to have many options, at a variety of levels.
Itâs been quite informative reading through this particular post. My son is considering the Walden Summer intensive program. Has anyone ever gone through that program or have a more personal knowledge of that program? He plays the piano (only for few years) and sings in 3 different choirs. But his main interest is in composition and has composed a few classical pieces through Sibelius and Finale. He thought the Walden Program would be a good program for him. Is it a competitive program. Thanks in advance for any answers and suggestions.
I will PM you. Walden has classes on theory and a variety of topics, individual composition lessons and a three day festival in which each of 50 students has a piece performed that was written at Walden. World class musicians sit st meals with students and share tips on techniques. Walden also builds community with weekend hikes and evening group songs. The location in NH is beautiful. Student works are quite impressive and I would say the general aesthetic is progressive. The school is selective but students may include musicians or creative young people who have not composed before, alongside experienced young composers who have already won national awards.
Thank you for this thread.
A bit off topic questions: DS is composing on his own using Finale and, could OP or anyone who knows tell me how to make Finale pieces into recordings? Play it out himself? Also, any good camps for (learning about) conducting?
Finale will make a midi recording. It helps to invest in add on Garritan instruments for decent output. As for conducting - almost all programs are at the graduate level, although there may be something out there for undergrads.
Do you mean recordings to send off with applications?
Generally programs care about the score the most. You can turn a Finale score into a PDF.
My kid has been composing for a long time and has never sent the Finale playback anywhere but says there may be a way to export the midi. Spirit Manager knows more about this clearly!
And in general it is good to think of ways to get pieces actually played, including summer programs
As for conducting, you could look into this (not sure of the age for conducting but they have a high school program): there may be others that googling could uncover
My son has used Finale midi recordings for a decade including for submissions and for aids for rehearsals. And to guide conductors ahead of time. Often for large scale work itâs the only practical option. Just today singers were rehearsing to the midi. (Vocal lines are not one of the things midi does best!) Colleges will require a few acoustic live recordings but will also allow some of the submissions to be midi. I also listen to midi recordings of his work in progress all the time - most of the Garritan instruments are wonderful - strings are my least favorite.
I will add that I get so used to the midi recording of a piece that I always have to hear the live version with absolutely fresh ears - as itâs always different in ways I just canât imagine.
I canât think of any summer composition program that would accept a student for any reason other than talent/potential and certainly not for money.