Finish your Own Symphony!

By Henry Thompson and Tim DeSimone

This experience is designed to show our musicians the variety of ways to write and
compose their own music, and give them an opportunity to show off their ideas! We provide
some basic structure and direction on the beginning of a piece, and it is up to the composer to
select how they want this piece to end….
Will they end it triumphantly? Or will it end in defeat? Will there be a big, satisfying
ending? Or will they leave the piece on a cliff’s ledge? We will explore how different musical
ideas can express different feelings and stories, all while learning how we can write music to tell
these stories ourselves!
Using SoundTrap, a music looping software, we will have an initial melody and
harmony. The students will listen to the existing work, and then pick from other loops and
options to piece together the rest of it. Ideally, every student picks a new way to finish the piece,
and we have a collection of pieces to be shared with the world!
We will ask the composers questions as they work, having them explain the choices that
they make. At the same time, we will provide feedback to explain why certain musical ideas
work and fit together the way that they do. For example, cadences, modulations, and dissonance!
This experience aligns with National Core Music Standard 3: “Refine and Complete
Artistic Work.” Please visit www.nationalartsstandards.org to learn more about the National
Core Music Standards!

Extending the Experience

 If your student had a positive experience with this program, there are multiple ways to

keep the creative juices flowing!

If they are interested in doing more composition, there are plenty of free resources the

new composers can use! For example, the program we used, SoundTrap! As well, software like

GarageBand, and similar music looping software. GarageBand comes pre-installed on all Mac

computers, and SoundTrap has free to use and download options. If the students have some

experience in music notation, they can try a software like MuseScore or NoteFlight to compose

note-by-note, with real time playback.

To learn more about composition and music, you should encourage your students to

become practicing musicians and join middle school music programs next year! If they will be

attending Skyline Middle School, please reach out to Sharon Miller (millersm@emu.edu) who

works with Strings students, or Ms. Rogers (rrogers@harrisonburg.k12.va.us), who facilitates the

school musical! If attending Thomas Harrison Middle School, contact Megan Austin

(maustin@harrisonburg.k12.va.us) who runs the band program, Ellen Kasiske

(ekasiske@harrisonburg.k12.va.us) who teaches the strings students, Michael Strawderman

(mstrawderman@harrisonburg.k12.va.us) who instructs the drama program, or Kimly Schlabach

(kschlabach@harrisonburg.k12.va.us) who rehearses the choir.

Thank you for your time! To reach out with any more questions, please contact us via

email, using the addresses below! - Henry and Tim

Henry Thompson | thompsha@dukes.jmu.edu

Timothy DeSimone | desimotl@dukes.jmu.edu