John Phillip Sousa Student's Composition Competition 2007

In the previous two articles we have discussed different methods of teaching composition, and what music should be the subject of learning process. This month my article features one of my student's compositions, which you can access by clicking the link below this article.

Every semester my wife and I conclude with three student recitals consisting of piano, vocal and composition students. In the past years, I have increasingly used playback files from notation programs, such as Finale. I also encourage making a slide show to go with the music, which makes the experience more entertaining for the audience members.

Once a year, we ask the audience to vote on their favorite composition, which the students write following a specific assigned style. This spring all compositions were written in the style of John Phillip Sousa, and the winner of the audience choice award was my student of three years, William West.

William is an accomplished composer. He writes symphonic, chamber and vocal music, mainly in the classical genre, but as a part of our lessons last semester we also explored jazz composition as well. William West has composed music for the last thirty-one years, and he also operates his own company as an interior designer. Additional information can be found at his website at www.williamwest.org

The winning composition this spring is called "March Enfilade," and William graciously agreed to let me use his music in this month's article. Please enjoy the audio/video presentation that William has created: