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Composers and Schools in Concert (CSIC) is a nationwide community arts provider that supports music education and the creation and performance of contemporary music. Composers & Schools engages teenage students in the philosophies, techniques, and skills underlying contemporary music composition through culturally-responsive composer commissions and workshops for youth ensembles. Composers & Schools occupies a unique space in the performing arts and music education communities by linking professional composers and youth music ensembles to create new repertoire for educational ensemble and to provide learning opportunities that align with the professional music-making industry.
Workshop Program
In our custom workshops, we center young people as creators and provide students and teachers with cutting-edge experiences in the field of music composition. We provide custom workshops that span a single class, a semester, or an entire academic year. We provide opportunities for guest speakers, industry mentors, performances, and collaborative project experiences. We support and equip students to create art and to build their creative capacity, deepen their understanding and awareness of the creative process and develop their creative skills. Teaching artists, who are professionals in the music-creating industry, serve as the core educators and mentors.
Commission Program
In our Commissions in Concert program, we commission a professional composer to write a piece in collaboration with a youth ensemble (grades 8 – 12), and the student ensemble performs the world premiere. The composer spends one semester creating and rehearsing with the students. The composer joins the ensemble at the performance of the world premiere and all ticket-sale revenue goes back to the youth music program.
Through the creation of a piece written specifically for them, students perform their new work while being mentored in the techniques, skills, and myriad styles of contemporary music.
We work with ensembles of all types and create new music and scores of all kinds including notated and non-notated, scoring for film or apps, improvisation and more! Whether your students meet online, in person, or a hybrid of the two, we will develop a custom project that serves the student’s curricular needs.
Composers & Schools Provides
√ A customized program that engages students in the concepts, techniques, and skills underlying contemporary music composition and aligns with national core arts standards.
√ A professional composer that is vetted to work successfully in an educational setting and who is a good match for the school program.
√ An efficient program where rehearsals and learning sessions fit into each school’s existing schedule.
√ Composers & Schools provides program oversight, project management, contract administration, payment processing, and post-project assessment.
√ For the commission’s premiere performance, we also provide a professional audio or video recording of the premiere by Composers & Schools’ engineers, program notes for the concert program, and promotion of the premiere performance through press releases, social media promotion and media pitches.
Fees
Workshops
Workshop fees are calculated by project. Fee factors include the length of the program, composer residency and travel, and other factors. Contact us today and let us create a project that fits into your budget and curricular needs.
Commissions
There are two commission models to choose from: A single-school commission and a consortium. Choose the fit that’s right for you. Commission fees vary based on criteria such as travel, score duration and project complexity. Contact us today and let’s customize a project for you. Single school commissions begin at $2,200 for a 2-minute piece. Consortiums begin at $550 per school.
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Commission Consortium
A consortium commission is made up of a group of school ensembles who share a similar instrumental configuration. In consultation with Composers & Schools, the music directors, and the composer, we collectively design a commission project that will best serve the students and their curricular needs. Each bespoke project includes student involvement in a way that fulfills the National Core Arts Standard of creating and conceptualizing artistic ideas. Ensembles receive a get-to-know-you session with the composer, two online learning sessions/rehearsals with the composer, digital score and parts, and program notes. If there is a live concert, the first ensemble in the group to premiere the piece will receive a professional recording of the performance by Composers & Schools’ audio/video engineers.
School fee: $550 per school. Consortiums begin with four ensembles, and we aim to cap it at fifteen. The duration of the music is $1,000 per minute. Four schools result in a 2- minute piece; additional score minutes and composer residency/travel to the school is additional.
Single-school Commission
In a single-school commission project, one school ensemble receives a custom project that will best serve the students and their curricular needs. Each bespoke project includes student involvement in a way that fulfills the National Core Arts Standard of creating and conceptualizing artistic ideas. Ensembles receive a get-to-know-you session with the composer, three online learning sessions/rehearsals with the composer, digital score and parts, press release, program notes and a professional recording of the performance by Composers & Schools’ audio/video engineers.
School fee: $2,200 per school for a 2-minute piece. The duration of the music is $1,000 per minute; additional score minutes and composer residency/travel to the school is additional.
Calendar
Workshops
Dates are customized by project.
Commissions
Spring: School sign-up period for the upcoming academic year
Fall: Composers & Schools, the composer, and the school music director discuss ensemble needs and develop the framework for the project that includes student involvement. Student ideas are delivered to the composer. Score development begins.
Early Winter: Learning sessions with the composer and rehearsals
Late Winter: Score delivery
Spring: Concert or alternate online experience.
Contact Us Today
Let us help you plan a customized project that will serve your curricular needs.
Culturally-responsive Teaching
All of our composer-educators are professionals who are adept at working in the youth environment. Our composer-educators partner with the music teacher to create a culturally-responsive project. The following practices create the foundation of our work.
- We learn about the students’ cultural references and validate the students by embracing their culture
- We ask the students their musical goals
- We consider the students’ learning styles
- We invite the students to be leaders in their own learning and survey the students on how they would like to engage
- We incorporate regional or local cultural heritage
- We look at alternatives to the traditional ensemble setting
- We expand the repertoire
Let’s Chat
Do you have an idea for a new workshop, a new piece for your ensemble, or just a general question? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.