Nurturing the careers of Australia's future composers

Abstract

In 1994, the Australian Society for Music Education (ASME) initiated two related projects supporting and acknowledging composition in schools and offering the opportunity for secondary school-aged students to work with prominent Australian composers. These were the Young Composers' Project and the Composer-in-Residence Project. Both projects were planned in conjunction with the biennial ASME National Conference, in association with the Australian Music Centre and initially the Australia Council for the Arts. The context of this article is set with an overview of the teaching of composition in the compulsory and post-compulsory years of schooling in Australia, giving contrasting examples of a specific syllabus and a generic framework. Organizations in Australia that provide composition opportunities for students are identified and acknowledged. The ASME Young Composers' Project and the Composer-in-Residence Project are presented to illustrate venture-developed projects that are promoted by a professional teaching association to nurture school-age student composers and the teaching of composition in schools. The experiences of some of the students who have participated in the projects are presented. Their comments mainly focus on the opportunity that is provided by the Young Composers' Project to work with composers and professional ensembles, and the opportunity to meet members of their peer group with like interests.

Développer la carrière des futurs compositeurs australiens En 1994, la société australienne pour l'éducation musicale (ASME) a lancé deux projets connexes soutenant et reconnaissant la composition dans les écoles et procurant l'occasion aux étudiants des écoles secondaires de travailler avec les compositeurs australiens reconnus. Il y avait le projet des jeunes compositeurs et le projet des compositeurs en résidence. Les deux projets ont été plannifiés en même temps que la conférence nationale bisannuelle de l'ASME, en partenariat avec le centre musical australien et à l'origine en collaboration avec le Conseil des arts australien. Cet article se situe dans le contexte de l'enseignement scolaire de la composition en Australie, donnant des exemples contrastants d'un programme spécifique et d'un cadre général. Des organismes qui présentent des aides pour les étudiants dans la composition sont identifiés et reconnus en Australie. Le projet des jeunes compositeurs de l'ASME et le projet des compositeurs en résidence sont présentés pour illustrer une action développée et soutenue par une association de formation professionnelle pour les jeunes compositeurs apprenants et favoriser l'enseignement de composition dans les écoles. Les expériences de certains étudiants participants au projet sont présentées. Leurs commentaires portent principalement sur l'opportunité de ce projet des jeunes compositeurs travaillant avec d'autres compositeurs, des ensembles professionnels et des reunions entre paires par groupe d'intérêt.

Unterstützung der Laufbahn zukünftiger australischer Komponisten 1994 startete die Australische Gesellschaft für Musikerziehung (ASME) zwei zusammenhängende Projekte, die Komposition in den Schulen unterstützte und anerkannte und Studenten im Sekundarschulalter die Möglichkeit gab, mit berühmten australischen Komponisten zusammen zu arbeiten. Dies waren das Young Composers' Project und das Composer in Residence Project. Beide Projekte wurden in Zusammenarbeit mit der Biennale ASME Nationalen Konferenz und gemeinsam mit dem Australischen Musikzentrum wie anfänglich dem Australischen Kunstrat geplant. Der Inhalt dieses Artikels ist aufgebaut mit einem Überblick des Kompositionsunterrichtes in den obligatorischen und nachobligatorischen Schuljahren in Australien, aufzeigend gegensätzliche Beispiele eines spezifischen Plans und Gattungsaufbaus. Organisationen die in Australien für Studenten Möglichkeiten zum Kompositionsstudium anbieten sind bekannt und anerkannt. Das ASME Young Composers' Project und Composer in Residence Project werden dargestellt und illustriert als ein Versuch, welcher von einer Berufslehrergesellschaft entwickelt und unterstützt wird um Kompositionsstudenten im Schulalter und den Unterricht von Komposition in Schulen zu fördern. Die Erfahrung einiger Studenten, die an diesem Projekt mitgewirkt haben, werden vorgestellt. Ihre Kommentare heben insbesondere die Möglichkeit hervor die im Young Composers' Project geboten wird, um mit Komponisten und Berufsensembles zu arbeiten wie auch mit Mitgliedern der Peergruppe mit denselben Interessen zusammen zu kommen.

Apoyar las carreras de los futuros compositores australianos La Sociedad Australiana para la Educación Musical (ASME) inició en 1994 dos proyectos relacionados que reconocían el valor de la composición en las escuelas y la apoyaban ofreciendo a estudiantes de educación secundaria la oportunidad de trabajar con compositores australianos prominentes. Éstos fueron el Proyecto de Jóvenes Compositores y el Proyecto de Compositores Residentes. Ambos fueron planificados en conjunción con el congreso anual de ASME y en asociación con el Centro Australiano para la Música e, inicialmente, con el Consejo Australiano para las Artes. El contexto de este trabajo es explicado mediante una perspectiva de la enseñanza de la composición en la escolarización obligatoria y post-obligatoria en Australia, y aportando un marco genérico y ejemplos contrastantes tomados de un programa escolar específico. Se identifica y reconoce a las organizaciones australianas que proporcionan oportunidades compositivas a los estudiantes. El Proyecto de Jóvenes Compositores y el Proyecto de Compositores Residentes de ASME son presentados a fin de ilustrar una empresa desarrollada y promovida por una asociación de profesores para apoyar a los compositores de edad escolar y para promover la composición en las escuelas. Se presentan las experiencias de algunos de los estudiantes que participaron en el proyecto. Sus comentarios se centran sobre todo en la oportunidad que les proporcionó el Proyecto de Jóvenes Compositores para trabajar con compositores y agrupaciones profesionales, y para conectarse con otros estudiantes con intereses compartidos.

Keywords

composer-in-residence composition creativity young composer

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