Livestream Opus 38
Whenever I am asked to identify examples of the best technology integrations in music education - the top of my list is always Music-COMP - formerly the Vermont MIDI Project. The COMP part stands for Composition Online Mentoring Program. The organization was started back in 1995 by Sandi MacLeod and Anne Hamilton as a way to teach students in grades 3-12 in Vermont how to compose original music. The original program had teachers sending MIDI files of student work to a composer who would then provide feedback via email. In the nearly 30 years since then, the program has flourished and I am a HUGE fan. Students no longer have to reside in Vermont to participate in the program. If you have a young composer in your school, you should DEFINITELY consider signing them up for mentoring. Tomorrow night, Tuesday, April 30th, you can livestream the concert free of charge, and I highly recommend tuning in.
My absolute favorite part of Music COMP is their commitment to live performances. Each year they produce what they call an Opus Concert. These concerts are truly special. They are day-long events where professional musicians from around the state of Vermont converge on a performance venue and meet with up to 20 young composers whose work they will be performing that evening. Each of the students, often joined by their music teacher, has about 15-20 minutes of rehearsal time with the musicians to work on the world premiere of their work. I LOVE watching this process. Unfortunately I can’t make it up to the live event this year which is scheduled for 6:30pm on Tuesday, April 30th, 2024 at Elley Long Music Center in Colchester, VT. If you are anywhere nearby - you should definitely grab a ticket. I have attended MANY Opus Concerts myself, and MusicFirst is a proud program sponsor.
Music COMP is a non-profit organization that relies exclusively on public funding. They are one of the very few organizations that I donate to on an annual basis and I urge you all to consider doing the same. Here is a recent video of a performance of composer Grace Carlomagno’s composition, Another Day, performed by the Executive Director of Music-COMP, Stefanie Weigand. Enjoy!