{"id":774,"date":"2025-06-10T10:20:31","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T15:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/busmea\/?page_id=774"},"modified":"2026-01-29T09:29:34","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T15:29:34","slug":"compositioncompetition","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/busmea\/compositioncompetition\/","title":{"rendered":"Beginning Band Composition Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"\"\"<\/a>\n

Handout Composition Competition Session<\/a>!<\/h2>\n

Listen to the recordings from our Da Capo 2026 reading session of the composition competition winners and honourable mentions here<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Dr. Wendy Zander, Competition Coordinator<\/p>\n

CALL FOR COMPOSITIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n

In celebration of the 40th<\/sup> anniversary of the Brandon University Student Music Educators\u2019 Association and the 20th<\/sup> annual Da Capo Conference in the School of Music at Brandon University, we welcome submissions of compositions written for beginner band students.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The<\/span> Composition<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Competition Details<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Submissions<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>Composition Context<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Composition:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Submissions must<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. be an original composition for band written since August 1, 2023 that has not yet been commercially available (website, publisher, distributor, etc).<\/li>\n
  2. be written at a difficulty level of 0.5 (based on the 0.5-6 grade level system). Secondary consideration will be given to compositions at Level 1.
    \n\u201cDefining the Wind Band Grade System\u201d by David Marlatt (Eighth Note Publications)     https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1ZC8BgZu3MLLw8DL1yPvqXRSEBwbNEtOj\/view<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    and *Bruce Pearson\u2019s \u201cSelecting Music for the Young Band\u201d are an outstanding resource.<\/p>\n

    *(in Teaching Music Through Performance in Beginning Band<\/em>, Volume 1, ed. Richard Miles and Thomas Dvorak. Chicago, IL. GIA Music, pp. 45-60.)<\/p>\n

    Competition Details:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

    The Competition is open to submissions from Canadian citizens and residents.<\/p>\n

    The deadline to submit is 12:00 AM (midnight) CST on November 1, 2025.<\/p>\n

    The composer of the winning compositions will receive a prize of $750 for first place, $350 for second place, and $150 for third place.<\/p>\n

    All copyright, mechanical rights, and royalty rights remain with the composer. The winning composers will provide the Competition Coordinator with a digital copy of the score and parts to be distributed to members of the Westman Band Directors Association for their program use. Winning works will be performed at the 2026 Da Capo Conference.<\/p>\n

    All applicants will receive an announcement of the winner by email and the results will be posted, including on the Brandon University School of Music website.<\/p>\n

    Should the jury consider none of the submitted compositions to be level-appropriate or meritorious, prizes will not be awarded.<\/p>\n

    Composition Advisory Committee<\/strong>: Kaylee Carlson, Veronica Casigay, Graydon Cramer, Erin Dodds, Brooklyn Friesen, and Kaylynne MacDiarmid.<\/p>\n

    Submissions:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Submissions (score and file names) should be saved by title to maintain anonymity. Please submit .pdf score, recording (mp3), and an on-line completed submission form. https:\/\/forms.gle\/UASvKdkcsVavPRqp9<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Live recordings are encouraged, but MIDI realizations are acceptable. PLEASE COMPRESS AUDIO FILES TO MINIMIZE FILE SIZE. Submissions should be e-mailed to BUSMEA@brandonu.ca<\/a> with a subject line of “Composition Competition Submission.”<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Recommended Instrumentation<\/u><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Flute<\/p>\n

        Oboe<\/p>\n

        Clarinet<\/p>\n

        Bass Clarinet<\/p>\n

        Alto, Tenor, and Baritone Saxophone<\/p>\n

        Bassoon<\/p>\n

        Trumpet<\/p>\n

        Horn<\/p>\n

        Trombone<\/p>\n

        Euphonium (Bass Clef)<\/p>\n

        Tuba<\/p>\n

        Double Bass<\/p>\n

        Percussion<\/p>\n

        \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Unpitched<\/em><\/p>\n

        \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Pitched<\/em><\/p>\n

        Composition awards are provided with financial support from the Westman Band Directors Association and Competition Coordinator.<\/p>\n

        Composition Context:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

        The Composition Competition is a celebration of the 40th<\/sup> anniversary of the founding of the Brandon University Music Educators Association (BUSMEA) and the 20th<\/sup> anniversary of BUSMEA\u2019s Da Capo Conference.<\/p>\n

        Brandon University Music Educators Association (BUSMEA)<\/strong><\/p>\n

        BUSMEA, founded in the School of Music in 1986, is an association managed by a music education student Executive Council. With member support, Council organizes professional development opportunities to supplement course work and educational experiences for students enrolled in the faculties of Music and Education. Engagement with BUSMEA advances members\u2019 keystone leadership skills in communication, organization, budgeting, and fundraising, among others.<\/p>\n

        Da Capo Conference<\/strong><\/p>\n

        The Da Capo conference is a one-day professional development event, planned and prepared by the BUSMEA Council. It includes workshops and seminars designed to enrich the learning of music educators, music administrators, students in music and music education as well as high-school students. The conference builds and sustains relationships between pre-service and in-service educators by engaging prairie educators as mentors and experts. On January 16-17, 2026, Da Capo will celebrate its\u2019 twentieth <\/em>iteration with a special two-day event honoring these values and connections.<\/p>\n

        Westman Band Directors Association<\/em>\u00a0(WMBDA)<\/strong>
        \nThe\u00a0WMBDA<\/strong> supports quality instrumental music education in Western Manitoba through professional development opportunities and the nurturing of a network of stakeholders. They endeavor to provide meaningful opportunities for bands and educators to grow and build community. The WMBDA<\/p>\n

          \n
        • delivers an annual Junior and Senior Honour Band each February in cooperation with the Brandon University School of Music. This event brings in conductors and ensembles to share in our learning and performance.<\/li>\n
        • organizes an annual meeting and professional development event in June.<\/li>\n
        • All band directors in the region are WMBDA members and associate membership is available to anyone in the area with a Manitoba Band Association membership in good standing.<\/li>\n
        • Our members support the Brandon University Student Music Educators\u2019 Association<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          BUSMEA and WMBDA members are committed to providing high quality music instruction. Designed to stimulate the creation of accessible and engaging Canadian repertoire for beginner band, the composition competition is an investment in musicians who are, like pre-service teachers, at the beginning \u2013 Da Capo<\/em> – of an important adventure.<\/strong><\/p>\n

           <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Handout Composition Competition Session! Listen to the recordings from our Da Capo 2026 reading session of the composition competition winners and honourable mentions here! Dr. Wendy Zander, Competition Coordinator CALL FOR COMPOSITIONS In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Brandon University Student Music Educators\u2019 Association and the 20th annual Da Capo Conference in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":765,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-774","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/busmea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/busmea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/busmea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/busmea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/765"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/busmea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=774"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/busmea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":881,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/busmea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/774\/revisions\/881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/busmea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}