OPEN CALL FOR MENTORS
Apply now through June 15th!
The New Canon Project, a partnership of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), Rising Tide Music Press (RTMP) and the American String Teachers Association (ASTA), invites Black and Latinx composers, educators, and string pedagogues to apply to be part of the project as project mentors. This call for mentors is only for string mentors within the ASTA segment of the project. Mentors will work alongside composers and support them throughout the journey, including providing expertise regarding pedagogical needs, technical requirements and typical abilities of the young string player. For Cohort 2 (2024-25), we will select up to six string mentors to support composers writing for string ensembles.
ELIGIBILITY & PROGRAM INFORMATION
You might be a New Canon Project mentor if:
REQUIRED: Identify as Black and/or Latinx
Interest in supporting the creation of new and/or arranged works for string classrooms by Black and Latinx composers
Experience providing feedback to composers to support the successful creation of new works, whether in workshop or one-on-one settings.
Interest in working collaboratively with and supporting music educators and their students as they workshop the new compositions and provide useful feedback and suggestions to the participating composers.
Comfort working with a developing project, including a willingness to share insights in how the project is going and ideas to make it better over time.
Questions? Email us at newcanonproject@acda.org.
The New Canon Project will provide:
Organizational structure to help mentors work successfully with their composer colleagues. Rising Tide Music Press, a publisher dedicated to supporting Black, Brown, Indigenous and Asian composers in the first decade of their composing careers, will provide support and assistance to mentors and composers as they build their relationships and as the composers create their works.
The opportunity to workshop the newly created works with a school site, whether in person or virtually, in partnership with the composer.
The participating school educator will be available to talk through the piece before the workshop, provide guidance for the students during the workshopping process, and a post-workshop meeting.
Professional development opportunities for all Project partners, including composers and mentors for learning and sharing.
Compensation for your support of the commissioned composers throughout the year-long project: $500-$1500.
Interested in being a mentor for The New Canon Project?
Simply submitting an application to The New Canon Project, applicants will automatically be eligible and invited to participate in the New Canon Project Workshop: year-round programming to support career development for Black and Latinx emerging composers.
HOW TO APPLY
Click below to apply. Application portal closes on June 15, 2024 at 11:59pm.
Check back in late fall for Cohort 2 application access and deadlines. Until then, please familiarize yourself with the guidelines below.
You will be asked to provide:
Your name and your contact information. Mentors will be selected in part based on geographic diversity. We will use regional areas to help us ensure representation across the United States. These are listed with state names on the application.
Headshot (300 dpi; 3 x 5) and bio (250 word limit). You may include links to your website or online presence as appropriate)--non-adjudicated information.
Your demographic information. The Project is focused on supporting Black and Latinx composers and Black and Latinx mentors.
Your resume or CV (3 page limit, PDF format). We welcome mentors who are music educators, pedagogical experts in string teaching and learning, and/or composers who have successfully written for the secondary ensemble setting. Your skills will help our supported composers. Please make certain that your attached resume or CV highlights your experience in supporting compositions for the secondary school setting.
A brief (200 words or less) statement regarding your interest in participating in this project: How will you partner with your composer and teacher colleagues to help create the best new works for young string ensembles?
Evaluation: Mentor applicants will be evaluated based on their experience in supporting the creation of new works for the string ensemble classroom. Experience can include successful composing for ensemble classrooms; successful premiering of new works as a strings educator; and/or expertise in string pedagogy appropriate for works written for the secondary string ensemble classrooms.
THE PROJECT TIMELINE
Overview: Cohort 2 (2024-25)
May - August 2024: Submission, Review & Notification Period
05/07/24 - Call for Composers, Mentors, and Schools released
05/31/24 - DUE: Composer submissions (11:59 p.m. PDT)
06/15/24 - DUE: String Mentor applications (11:59 p.m. PDT)
08/01/24 - DUE: Composer paperwork confirming participation in the program. Composers should begin work on their pieces at this time.
08/15/24 - Composer-Mentor pairs are announced via email to each pair. Those who are not selected to participate as a commissioned composer will be invited to attend workshops.
August 2024 - January 2025: New Work Development
08/31/24 - Composers share initial drafts of their pieces with their mentors.
09/10/24 - DUE: Mentors meet with composers to share feedback and discuss potential partner schools.
10/31/24 - Cohort 2 School Partners announced. Partner educators will be invited to attend workshops
10/08/24 - DUE: Composer-Mentor-School Partner trios meet to discuss the work and logistics.
12/10/24 - 01/14/25 - Workshop Period: Composers workshop pieces in schools (in person or virtually)
01/15/25 - DUE: Final drafts (submit to Rising Tide Music Press)
February 2025: Publication Process
Composers submit final market-ready copies and sign off on contracts (including pricing and distribution methods). Works (with any final edits) are finalized and uploaded onto the ArrangeMe.com platform, published by Rising Tide Music Press and ASTA/ACDA.
March 2025: Release & Readings
Works released on Rising Tide Music Press and ArrangeMe.com distribution platforms (i.e. Sheet Music Plus, Sheet Music Direct, Musescore).
Works are presented during reading sessions at the ASTA and ACDA conferences, promoted by Hal Leonard Publishing and shared with Save the Music Foundation supported schools/school districts.
