Creative Composers
For this event, you will compose, notate, and perform an original work.
Use this worksheet to make sure you incorporate all the elements of music into your composition: creative-composers
You can write your own piece from scratch, or you might try a few different other options, too. You could create a theme and variations on a folk song or classic melody, or create your own 20th Century composition with creative sound effects. Here are some ideas for making your own sound effects, thanks to Wendy’s Piano Studio:
Imagine what variations you could do write for “Row Row Row Your Boat” — how would it sound if it were on a calm day at sea? What if the weather turned stormy?
You could also use the words from a favorite poem of yours and compose a melody and chords to go along with it. Can you hear the rhythm of this poem? Can you imagine what the music would sound like at certain points during the poem?
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!
How neatly spreads his claws,
And welcomes little fishes in,
With gently smiling jaws!
When choosing a poem, make sure the words have a strong rhythm to them.
You may also want to learn some compositional techniques to help you write your own melody:compositional techniques
Ask your teacher to help you understand different techniques. Here is a list of some more common ones:
Ostinato
Pedal Point
12-Bar Blues
Repetition and Sequence in Altered Forms: Rhythmic or Intervallic Diminution and Augmentation, Fragmentation, Complete Melodic Alteration (rhythm stays the same), Rhythmic Shift, and Octave Displacement.
For more ideas on how to compose your own piece, visit any of the websites in the links for Creative Composers.
You may notate the piece by hand, or download the free notation software Finale Notepad.
You can find free, printable staff paper at many different websites:
This program lets you create your own customized staff paper, using different clefs and different sizes.
This website has many options of different staff paper to print, too.
Here is a fun activity to introduce very young children to writing music and drawing notes on the staff: compositions
