There’s no single right way to get students composing, and this episode proves it. Today, I’m sharing a chat I recorded live at TopMusicLive in Sydney this year, where I sat down with two TopMusicPro members, Devi and Mary, whose students’ pieces won our members-only composition competition. We unpack Devi’s simple chord challenge, a hand-crossing piece born from improvisation, and the surprisingly honest story behind one student’s ChatGPT-assisted song.

• Tim explained the four categories of the members-only TopMusic Composition Competition.
• How Devi’s chord challenge helps young students start composing.
• Why Harvie built his diminished chord piece Creeping around just four notes.
• How Juniper composed Clouds one hand at a time before adding lyrics.
• Devi shared how the music came first and the words were written afterward.
• Mary explained how Arianna’s hand-crossing piece began as an improvisation.
• Why the piece was written in the middle of studio chaos after a cyclone.
• How Maya used ChatGPT for a chord progression starting point.
• Mary shared how she helped Maya reclaim ownership of her own song.
• Tim explained why repertoire remixing is an easy inroad to creativity.
• Why notation is part of the learning, not just a competition requirement.
• Tim highlighted why constraints and improvisation drive composition success.

Watch the Interview in YouTube

Today’s Guest

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