Connecting Us Up #3 B: Market Intersections “ Embracing New Musicâ€
Posted by JLZ in Composers, Judith Lang Zaimont, UncategorizedComposers’ natural allies are performers, listeners.
And Studio Teachers.
Kids study their instrument around the world in formalized settings, then finish up with a degree or two from Conservatory or University.  Their studio teacher, with whom they study one-on-one, personifies their instrument, and serves as a siphon for the selection of pieces the student will spend many practice-hours on.
Though it’s true that great swatches of ‘educational music’ are weak, forgettable, composing repertoire works for developing musicians can be a strategic ( if occasional) goal for alert composers.  Having a piece selected for an organization’s state-wide, national or international repertoire list means a tangible boost for that work. And a useful spotlight for the composer.   Â
It also means that someone musically sophisticated is paying attention not just to the virtuoso, but to the budding performer.
My article “Embracing New Music†In the current issue of American Music Teacher magazine invites the teacher-performer to take a fresh, positive look at recent works they and their students will enjoy spending time with. (The music excerpts are all by composers other than myself.) Â
It recapitulates the ebb and flow of interest in newer music over the past century, and also probes the reasons why studio teachers might be reluctant to include very-new works for study as repertoire — meaning something the student will spend many hours on, not just sight-read.  All of this is presented positively, with the sense of excitement at the potential of a major discovery.
Included is a sidebar on the issue of how a composer gets “brandedâ€.
Read it, then comment. Â
Entries (RSS)