Wanted by school orchestra: an exciting original composition for performance

Does your school have a band or an orchestra? If so, then commission an original piece of music, paying for it out of funds set aside for this purpose by the school board and administration.

Student instrument players should form a commission and locate several musicians interested in considering such an assignment.

Perhaps two or three "finalist" could be invited to listen to the band or orchestra perform in rehersal and then discuss in some depth the sort of music the members would prefer be written especially for their use.

When the students select the composer, a final date should be set for completion of the piece.

Then when the work is completed, the band or orchestra should devote considerable time to rehearsals, one or two final ones at which the score writer might be present to discuss interpretation, timing, emphasis, and so forth.

And then, finally, the time and event chosen for the premiere!

This grand activity, combining the mature talents in the community with bodding musicians, should not be a one-time acitivity. It should be a yearly choice. No reason to rule out asking the same musical composer to do a second original work; at the same time, there is no reason not to ask a second composer for an original work.

And how wonderful if one year the winner of the commission should be a student member of the orchestra or band!

Next week: Spelling 52900100027322 NOVEMBER 15, 1981