STUDENT COMPOSERS LEARNING TO CREATE MUSIC

During a recital Tuesday, fourth-grader Steffan Troxel's own composition, "A Minor Melody" in 6/8 time, will be performed by his piano teacher.

Five older students will perform their own compositions in Southeast Music Academy recitals today, Tuesday and Wednesday at Southeast Missouri State University. They are among a relatively few pre-college students between St. Louis and Memphis who are learning to write and perform their own compositions, according to Becky Fulgham, director of the academy.

Steffan will play a better-known composer's work at his recital. Piano teacher Ann Shelton will play Steffan's composition because of its difficulty.

Steffan's parents are Matthew and Sherrie Troxel of Jackson. Sherrie Troxel teaches the class in music theory.

Also performing in the 7 p.m. recital Tuesday in Brandt Hall Room 205 will be a trio composed of Courtney Maguire, Carol Jackson and Leslie Faulkner. The three, cellist Maguire and pianists Jackson and Faulkner, collaboratively wrote a piece of music.

Maguire, a high school sophomore, is the daughter of Donna and Jeff Maguire of Cape Girardeau. Jackson is a senior and the daughter of Diane McKee of Cape Girardeau. Faulkner is an 11th-grader from Thebes, Ill., the daughter of Wayne and Linda Faulkner.

Troxel first instructed the students to pick a form (theme and variations or two or three parts, for instance), then a mode (major or minor, generally), then a theme (the melodic line).

The trio started by creating a melody that would carry through the entire piece, then devised variations on their theme.

Jackson has an appreciation for her partner Faulkner's airy contribution to the piece. "It sounds like a waterfall," she said.

And Maguire is good at hearing harmonies, Jackson said.

"What these girls learned is to work in a group," Troxel said.

Jackson and Maguire plan to minor in music in college. Faulkner wants to be a professional musician.

Sixth-grader Lindsey Anderson, the daughter of Kevin and Cindy Anderson of Cape Girardeau, is performing a two-part composition at 7 tonight in the same room at Brandt Hall.

Her music demonstrates that a composition doesn't necessarily reflect the composer's personality, Troxel said.

The cheery Lindsey surprised everyone by composing a minor-key piece she describes as somewhat evil sounding. "It's kind of a witch thing that came out," Lindsey said, laughing.

Connie Aufdenburg, a 10th-grader from Jackson, is the sixth recitalist. She will play a three-part composition at her 7 p.m. recital Wednesday. Her parents are Richard and Judy Aufdenburg.

Aufdenburg is most interested in voice, but took the composition course "to learn technical stuff about music." Composing is "a lot harder than I thought it was before," she said.

In fact, the students unanimously think that writing music is much more difficult that it looks.

"It's a lot more than sitting down and playing notes," Jackson said.

"To make the piece unique you have to come up with something that makes it creative."

Students become better musicians through learning to compose, Troxel said.

"If you put it down on the page, you have to know it first. They're thinking about the total picture."

Most of the students are studying music theory for no other reason than their passion for music.

"Fifteen or 20 years ago, students learned what they learned about music through the public school system," Troxel said. "Today the performance level is higher."

As much as the students talk about how hard composition is, they've created distinctively original music, Troxel said.

"It was easier for them than they're willing to admit because these are talented kids."