Re: If you had to state 5 rules of a successful music composition for 12th grade students...

[Jim Goodin <jimgoodinmusic@gmail.com>]

Don't emphasize too many rules, instead have them do the following
over a week or two weeks.

1 assign them to listen to something like Sofa by Frank Zappa,
Different Trains by Steve Reich, Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber,
The Moment at Which You Must Finally Let Go of the Teather that Has
Held Your Hope Airbourn by Will Ackerman, Let the Power Fall by Robert
Fripp and Turn Out the Stars by Bill Evans
2 next day do something fun, anything
3 next day sit down with their instrument of voice, something easy to
reocrd with and for a 30 min play or sing anything that comes into
their head, stop don't listen back
4 next day repeat the above and don't listen back
5 next day sit down with instrument or voice, if your requirement is
notation have them take an assigned key, pick 4 notes and only those 4
notes, compose 32 bars in any time signature they prefer.  At end of
32 bars of melody go back and compose a counter line, do this again
for 3rd and 4th part.  If notation is not required have them do this
by multi channel recording.  Turn in either result to you for
completion of this project.

Jim






On 1/21/10, kkissinger@kevinkissinger.com <kkissinger@kevinkissinger.com> 
wrote:
> Quoting margaret noble <margaretnoble2000@yahoo.com>:
>>
>> Hello Loopers List,
>>
>> This thread could turn into a complicated philosophical discussion.
>> I aim rather to put your ideas in a box for my students to have a
>> performance criterion/check list of what they should nail on their
>> first electronic music composition based on the simplicity of Reason
>>  and "Fair Use" sampling in Protools. It is assumed that they have
>> no  previous music knowledge and are forging their way through to
>> try  and find a measure of success.
>>
>> So, I'd love to hear your top 5 (or more) descriptors/performance
>> criteria of a "successful" composition.
>>
>>  Margaret Noble - Sound Artist
>> Sound is Art Magazine - http://margaretnoble.net/soundisart
>> Artist Website - http://margaretnoble.net
>> New Record Label - http://femrecords.com/
>>
>>
>>
> A successful composition:
>
> 1. Is not overly-repetitive.
> 2. Starts with a simple idea and builds slowly (in other words, don't
> play all your best licks in the first minute of the music and leave
> yourself nowhere to go).
> 3. Reaches the audience.  (for example, if it is dance music will
> people actually want to dance with it?)
> 4. is genuine (that is, it avoids faux-emotion and trite sentimentality)
> 5. is as effective at moderate volume as it is at loud levels (with
> the possible exception of dance music that is enhanced by a good, loud
> beat).
>
> I can think of other, more technical factors, however for a first
> project I would prefer to encourage their enjoyment and participation
> in the act of creating music.
>
> This sounds like a wonderful project.  All the best to you and your
> students.
>
> -- Kevin
>
>

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