Monday, 23 January 2012

Music For Young Children Composition Festival


One of the important elements that the Music For Young Children curriculum has to offer, is the oppourtunity of self-expression through composition. It is really something for me to be able to say as a piano teacher, that I teach children as young as three years old to compose their own piece of music (to say nothing of the remarkable sense of achievement that these young children possess as a result)!

Our music lessons celebrate a curriculum that has continued to be developed over thirty years, incorporating every element necessary for building a solid musical foundation. Not only do we learn piano, but we are able to organize and present the ideas of our musical education in a concise and artistic manner. What a beautiful opportunity for me to experience and contribute to the creativity of these young minds!

Together we undergo the process of amalgamating the many solid aspects of our musical education, to produce a piece of work that exemplifies our own personal expression. There is much experimentation and development that goes into every single piece. Every composition that is submitted is played by a panel of judges (including guest composers) at Music For Young Children’s head office in Ottawa. This takes place annually in March, where literally thousands of original pieces pour in from all over the globe.

One of the things that I learned as part of my training to become a Music For Young Children teacher, is that some of the compositions selected are later integrated into the curriculum. In some cases, and at some levels of the program, the children are studying the work of other original composers ‘just like them’. Truly remarkable!

Personally, I can’t wait to begin the process yet again!

Michelle Fedorowich
Music For Young Children Graduate and Teacher


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