Chicago-based composer James Stephenson was excited about working with members of the Churchville-Chili Senior High School band as they rehearsed his piece “Deep Dish” on November 15. Thanks to several cameras and a live Skype connection, he was able to see and listen to the performance, and offer a creator’s critique and guidance. Afterward, he met students and opened the floor to questions about the piece, being a professional musician and composer, and finding career opportunities in the music field.
“I like sharing what I do as a composer with young performers,” he said. “It’s so much fun to visit classrooms, in person or virtually. When I was their age, I thought all the composers were dead – Mozart, Beethoven, and the rest. It’s great to change that perception. It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to write music that’s engaging; that inspires and challenges young musicians. It’s even better to be able to listen to them rehearse and then guide them, one-on-one, to the spirit of the piece I wrote.”
The personal appearance was arranged by Churchville-Chili’s Band Director Terry Bacon, who had chosen “Deep Dish” for the upcoming Senior High Bands Winter Concert on December 6. As he programmed the piece for his group, he saw a note on the sheet music, “The composer is more than willing to do skype rehearsals or personal residencies with this or any other works of his.”
“I just took a chance and dashed off an email,” he said. “I was surprised and very grateful that Jim was so open to sharing his time, talents and experience with our students.”
The district’s fine arts department invites several visiting musical artists and composers to the school every year, said director Jeff Smith. “We’ve hosted people like flutist Christopher Chaffee, Garth Fagan dancers, conductor Charles Van Buren and musicians from the Count Basie Orchestra. This is our first virtual visit by a composer, however. Experiences like these help students understand the creative process and can shape their own ability to find meaning and joy in the arts.”
Stephenson is a critically acclaimed composer whose works have been performed by orchestras, instrumentalists and wind ensembles around the world (https://composerjim.com). He particularly enjoys writing compositions for young musicians.
“It’s an interesting balance,” he said. “I like to write music that has a tie-in to an age-level curriculum and introduces students to composition. It should be fun to play, and be successfully performed by young instrumentalists. But the music must also be sophisticated and challenging with rhythmic momentum, colorful scoring and orchestration.”
“Deep Dish” was inspired by the quintessential pizza of Chicago. It was published by the American Composers Forum and is distributed nationwide by the Hal Leonard Corporation.
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