Full Circle: The EPTA Composers’ Competition as a source of inspiration

A day trip from Edinburgh to Croydon would seem quite a long one to undertake. But by the time of publication that is exactly what my pupils Chloe and Sofia, travelling with myself, will have done. We are attending the 2007 EPTA Composers’ Competition Winners Concert, which is part of a one day event, aptly entitled “Inspiration”, at the Croydon Centre for Young Pianists. For me, this round trip is symbolic, as I will have come full circle in several ways.

Over eleven years ago the phone rang one day at home. Carol Barratt, of “Chester the Frog” fame, had called to say that Rebecca, a pupil of mine at the time, had come first in the 10 and under composition class. I was amazed.

It was the summer of 1996, the year that the EPTA composers’ competition was launched. I had entered Rebecca, who learned with me at school, with a certain amount of trepidation and an equal amount of excitement.

First came the trepidation. What if she didn’t get anywhere? Would Rebecca be disappointed, discouraged even, and would the music department frown on my apparent departure from the expected mainstream diet of practical examinations involving the usual three pieces, scales, sight-reading and aural tests?

Then there was the excitement. How adventurous of EPTA to encourage young pianists – and their teachers! – to try their hand at being creative and original. So when Rebecca turned up at a piano lesson and told me that she had made up a tune I leapt at the opportunity. The fears still surfaced, but were beaten down by our determination to give it a go.

The head of music was delighted with Rebecca’s success. The local press were contacted and a reporter came to the school. Then, there it was, in the paper, a photograph of Rebecca seated at a grand piano, hands poised above the keyboard as she smiled at the camera.

The whole thing was undoubtedly gratifying for everyone concerned, especially as there was an invitation to play at the EPTA annual conference, which that year was held at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester. Carol Barratt, the adjudicator, presented the prizes and the winners, undaunted, performed their pieces in front of an audience of piano teachers. We were also treated to performances by successful teachers in the competition, including one by Bronwen Brindley, who has subsequently taken on the position of competition organiser. Carol Barratt also performed a recently published work.

Once the euphoria had faded I experienced more concern. Would EPTA be able to retain the competition in years to come? After all, it was down to individual piano teachers to have the courage, willingness and enthusiasm to enter their pupils. And, as I had discovered some years before, it was an area where fellow students, pupils and teachers alike often lacked confidence, which had surprised me. I realised then how fortunate I was to have been exposed to a childhood environment where improvisation and composition took place.

Opportunities to extend these came when as a student, I was lucky enough to have Professor George Odam as my composition tutor. He gave me much encouragement. However, once the reality of juggling a class music teaching position with that of a piano teacher struck, there seemed little time to compose. Eventually the GCSE examination replaced the “O” level Syllabus and composing, or inventing as it is called in Scotland, became a feature.

About this time Trinity College of Music introduced a compositional techniques diploma and I decided to enter myself. Seated at a desk in a large hall filled with seemingly calm examination candidates, it came as little surprise by then to find that I was the only person attempting this new venture. Frazzled, as I tried to beat the clock, I fought my way through forty bars of a given piano piece by Benjamin Britten, which had to be arranged for chamber ensemble, amongst other exercises.

Foolish though this enterprise seemed at the time, the results spurred me on to attend summer courses and I took some private lessons which stretched my compositional resources still further beyond the comfort zone. I was forced to experiment, writing pieces that I can’t say I liked particularly. Nevertheless, through all these experiences, I learned a great deal about different styles and how music worked. I also learned how to approach the teaching of composition, which helped me in the classroom. In fact, I learned that composition cannot really be taught at all, but rather encouraged, and where appropriate, guided.

Soon after that first EPTA competition I moved to Edinburgh and became involved with the setting up of a private piano teaching practice. Composition once more dropped down the list of priorities. That was until a pupil developed some initial doodles into a short piece. Pleased that the competition had been sufficiently well supported to still be in existence, I entered Robin and he became my second prize-winner. I then made a conscious decision to continue entering pupils as often as possible.

The judgement of composition is of course subjective. While it is undeniably exciting when pupils do well, I am keen to emphasise the importance of taking part, achieving one’s personal best and learning from the experience. Entrants always receive helpful and detailed written comments from the adjudicator.

So the competition has become another source of inspiration. Not only is it an ongoing point of focus for the pupils who love to compose, but I myself have been drawn towards writing and arranging educational music for my pupils. It has also moulded the way I approach my piano teaching. Things are now explored much more from a compositional angle. It is all about how the composer has written the piece, influencing the way it is learned and interpreted.

The composers amongst my pupils do meet together in a mixed-age group from time to time, where these matters are discussed in more detail. They perform work in progress and are encouraged to comment constructively on each others pieces. They are also given a little exercise to work on – a kind of composers’ gym – a note row perhaps or a melodic shape to develop.

However, composing no longer occupies an elite or possibly controversial category. Instead it embraces all areas of work and my initial fears of disappointment and discouragement have proved unfounded. Now all can share in these activities to a greater or lesser extent. New composers have come forward, others are content to listen, support and even learn some of the compositions. Every pupil gradually gains a greater insight into the music they study and ultimately into how they can evaluate their own performances in the light of this understanding.

Thankfully the EPTA composers’ competition is still running. Its continuation though relies upon interest, enthusiasm and a desire to experiment, engendered by teachers. I believe that it really is up to us to ensure that our pupils are offered and exposed to these kind of opportunities and we are indeed lucky to have this facility at our disposal. Entry to the competition may only be relevant for a few pupils, but as I have discovered, their participation creates ripples that reach and benefit others.

The Croydon composers’ event in November will be presided over by Professor George Odam who is this year’s adjudicator. He will introduce the winners and talk about their pieces. The day trip from Edinburgh will be more than worthwhile, for I will come away with new ideas, building on the knowledge and inspiration I gained first from Professor Odam as a student and from other mentors and teachers later. Although things will have come full circle in one sense the learning I am sure will continue to spiral upwards.

Marie Barton

This article first appeared in'Piano Professional', the magazine of the European Piano Teachers' Association(EPTA uk).