PMAC is about to launch a new blog - "Living Composer of the Month." It will be an educational resource, providing information about composers who are actively writing music today. I believe it is vitally important that our young music students, particularly classical and jazz students, understand that there is a thriving world of new music. Even our rock students sometimes get caught up playing the music of The Beatles, Led Zepplin and Cream - though they tend to be much more in touch with the music of the moment.
There is great music being written TODAY. Even though we cherish and continue to perform Beethoven, Ellington, Bach, Coltrane, and Mozart, there are wonderful composers living among us who are writing music that young musicians should be learning to play and programming on their concerts.
Our first "Living Composer of the Month" is a wonderful example of how the internet can be used to learn about today's music. Information about her music appears all over the net. There are wonderful interviews with her on YouTube and you can even stream complete recordings of some of her major compositions - without paying a penny. Of course, you can also buy her music on iTunes, or on CD from any music store (online or otherwise). You can also purchase her actual music (scores and parts) on the internet and learn to play it yourself. If you want to hear her music live, there are many resources for finding her concerts and purchasing tickets. And, through the wonders of the internet, I was able to interview her via e-mail - she doesn't live in this part of the world, yet communicating with her was remarkably easy.
I am hoping that this new project will be embraced by our students and reach an even larger audience. It is important that musicians champion the music of their time. Check back later this week - I will provide the link to the new blog. And then on May 1st we'll unveil our first Living Composer of the Month. I hope you'll come along for the ride.
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