Ava BrackettLong Beach, CARecent graduate from CSULB BCCM with a Bachelor's in Music Composition.
I started playing violin when I was in elementary school, and I was in the orchestra all throughout elementary, middle, and high school. I decided after finishing high school that I wanted to pursue a career involving music. I decided to major in music at Long Beach City College (LBCC). I received composition lessons for five semesters and created pieces for solo violin and piano, violin and cello, string quartet, orchestra, voice and piano, and solo piano. I graduated from LBCC with an Associate's in Music in June 2021.
I transferred to California State University, Long Beach in August 2021, and my compositional palette expanded by being surrounded by a large group of 24 composers and more composition faculty. At CSULB, I attended weekly masterclass sessions where either guest speakers would discuss their music/music composition career, students would present their works, or teachers would present their works. During my time at CSULB, I was in the New Music and Laptop ensembles, which encouraged me to write music for those ensembles. I also met dancers, animators, and filmmakers, and was able to collaborate on projects with them.
While I was a student at CSULB, I became President of the Composers' Guild. As President of the Composers’ Guild, I had multiple responsibilities such as organizing the concerts, reaching out to other clubs to collaborate, writing grants, and fundraising with local businesses. I helped composers find performers and helped them feel motivated to have their pieces shown at the concert. During the 2022-2023 school year, I organized 4 concerts, including my Senior Recital I did in order to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree. https://www.youtube.com/live/62jj7XyOUTc?feature=share
As a composition teacher, I want to give my students the necessary tools that will help them understand how some composers may develop their music, so they can explore it on their own.
