Project Info
Young Composers Project @ Hartt
Striving for academic achievement in a diverse society
Hartt Community Division, University of Hartford
contact: steen@hartford.edu for further information
Connecticut has a long tradition of strong performing ensembles. Bands, orchestras and choruses have been the main focus of public and private music schools. However, this tradition has sometimes led to the neglect of other musical talents. Some students may have greater or equal strengths in composition, which is not a focus of many school music programs. The Young Composers Project aims to help students develop such untapped talents, while stimulating student interest and achievement in music composition and music technology in a diverse educational setting.
The project is under the artistic direction of Ken Steen who is Professor of Composition and Theory at the Hartt School and an active composer creating music in a wide variety genres and styles. He has been the recipient of a significant number of grants and commissions and his music has been performed internationally. Classes will be taught by Professor Steen and others.
As members of this project, students will work in small groups with one of the faculty composers. Students will learn to use notation or MIDI sequencing and digital audio software to communicate their musical ideas as well as compositional techniques used to create music. Our goal is to provide each student with the skills to develop his/her own voice as a composer, and small class size will allow students to spend a considerable amount of time on individual projects.