2011 NSBA/MENC Electronic Music Composition Contest Winners
RESTON, VA (July 15, 2011)—Sponsored by the National Association for Music Education (MENC) and the National School Boards Association (NSBA), the Electronic Music Composition Talent Search is an annual program that recognizes outstanding student compositions. It is held to influence school administrators to include or improve music technology in their schools’ curriculum.
“The Electronic Music Composition Talent Search is an important way to promote the arts and technology in 21st century education,” said Anne L. Bryant, Executive Director of NSBA.
The 2011 winners and runners-up are:
- Middle School Winner: Spencer Young, Beaver Creek Middle School, Sammamish, WA
Composition: “In Traffic”; Teacher: Tina Worthington - High School Winner: David Mannlein, Island Trees High School, Levittown, NY
Composition: “Serial Killer”; Teacher: J. Peter Hansen - High School Runner-Up: Tim Rattray, Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT
Composition: “(8X)” ;Teacher: Barbara Freedman - Elementary School Group winner: Tuckahoe Elementary School, Arlington, VA
Composition: “The World of Yes”; Teacher: Jeanette duBois - High School Group winner: Montgomery Blair High School – Jack Naden and John Rose, Silver Spring, MD
Composition: “The Song for Paris”; Teacher: Michelle Roberts
Entries were judged based on their aesthetic quality, effective use of electronic media, and the power of the composition and its presentation in communicating to school board members, administrators, and others, the excitement and effectiveness of electronic music composition in the school curriculum.
The winning compositions were selected by Herbert A. Deutsch (Prof. Emeritus at Hofstra University and co-inventor of the Moog Synthesizer) and Daniel Deutsch (National Chair, MENC Student Composers Competition). Winning students receive prizes from Gibson Guitar, Guitar Center, and Yamaha Corporation of America, and the winning compositions were played during Music Education Week, June 24-28, 2011. Audio files and scores of the winning compositions (as well as the runners-up) and comments from the winners are posted here.
For more information call 1-800-336-3768 or visit www.menc.org.
MENC: The National Association for Music Education, among the world’s largest arts education organizations, marked its centennial in 2007 as the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. Through membership of more than 75,000 active, retired, and pre-service music teachers, and with 60,000 honor students and supporters, MENC serves millions of students nationwide through activities at all teaching levels, from preschool to graduate school. MENC’s mission is to advance music education by encouraging the study and making of music by all. Since 1907, MENC has worked to ensure that every student has access to a well-balanced, comprehensive, and high-quality program of music instruction taught by qualified teachers. MENC’s activities and resources have been largely responsible for the establishment of music education as a profession, for the promotion and guidance of music study as an integral part of the school curriculum, and for the development of the National Standards for Arts Education. MENC is located in Reston, VA.
