CMC's New Music Alive! is a set of composition resources for the classroom.

New Music Alive! is a set of eight lesson plans designed as a practical and fun introduction to the principles of music composition, intended to raise awareness of what it means to be a composer.

Although mainly intended for primary schools and designed to complement the curriculum, the resources are also suitable for use with secondary students up to transition year.

The material was developed by composer and facilitator Peter Moran as part of a series of workshops funded by Dublin City Council in 2008/09. Using warm-ups, games, listening material and visual resources, students are engaged from the outset in practical classroom activities designed to develop their ability to hear and analyse sounds. In a structured sequence, they learn how to use the basic building blocks of music to devise and perform their own compositions. They are also introduced to the sounds and ideas behind contemporary music.

The New Music Alive! composition resources are free to download online from the Education and Outreach section of CMC's web site.

Posted: 24 November 2009