|
This month, we collaborate with Stephanie Magaro, Jr. High/Middle School R&R Chair, to learn about creating partnerships in the commissioning process.
As a middle school director, I think it is important that we show our students how to collaborate, not just with each other, but with the larger musical community around us. In 2019, Jordan Shomper, who was at Cocalico Middle School at the time, and I decided to work together with Amy Gordon to commission a piece for our collective 7th and 8th grade choirs, using poetry written by a student. I started by writing a grant through my school district’s MCFEE (Manheim Central’s Foundation for Educational Enrichment) program. I was able to secure funds through this grant to pay for half of the contract that the composer agreed to, which included her travel costs to come and clinic with our choirs. Both Manheim Central and Cocalico held a poetry contest in our choirs and sent all of the entries to the composer. Amy Gordon chose a poem called “The Moon’s Tears” by two 7th graders at Cocalico. You can read more about Amy Gordon’s music here, on her website. Unfortunately, we were just getting started on learning the piece in January and February of 2020, and had scheduled her visit for March 25th, 2020. The performance of the piece did not happen, nor did any meeting of the two schools, due to Covid-19, unfortunately. However, Amy Gordon was amazing and hosted a zoom session where she talked to our students about becoming a composer and her journey with music. She was great with the kids, and even though we didn’t get to keep rehearsing the commission–it was a very beneficial experience to collaborate with her and with a nearby choir program. I hope that this experience can also inspire others to reach out to other like-minded local directors and get them thinking about what their combined funds could produce to give their students an unforgettable experience! Maybe there is a budding poet or composer in your middle school choir just waiting for this opportunity! Comments are closed.
|