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Students at The Grammar School Compose for Opus 20
The Grammar School in Putney has participated in the Vermont MIDI Project for eight years, and this winter 16 students in 5th-7th grades are composing music for Opus 20. As its website explains, “The purpose of the Vermont MIDI Project 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 Alli Lubin is one of the project’s pioneers. When the new online learning center/composition program Haiku/Noteflight was introduced last fall, TGS’s 5th grade was the most active class involved in the pilot project, and currently TGS is one of only four schools in Vermont experimenting with the new technology. Lubin’s digital composition program has produced 10 winners since TGS joined the program. Students Jacob Knapp, Miles Hume, Colin Clark, Brooke Mooney, Katelyn Donovan, Julian Stolper, Tim Quimby, Nathaniel Todd Long, Antonia Dufort, and Michaela Shea-Gander all have had their compositions chosen for live performances by professional musicians. The work of last year’s Opus 18, including TGS winners Nathaniel, Antonia, and Michaela, is featured on the website http://www.vtmidi.org/flash_files/Opus18/opus18flash.htm.
Lubin says, “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 the VT Midi Project. 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.” It was The Grammar School's active participation that encouraged project director Sandi MacLeod to bring the Opus concert to southern Vermont for the first time. This year’s finalists will have their pieces performed at a free concert at the Latchis Theater on April 28, 2010.