By Margaret Wong
Bach, Mozart, Brahms, Handel, Wagner, Schumann, Debussy, Ravel, Tchaikovsky,
Chopin, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Mendelssohn, Strauss, and Saint-Saens
are all great classical composers known to fans and students of classical
music. Young composers probably studied some pieces by these famed
composers to better understand their own innovative minds. Able Minds,
Inc. is company that believes in giving young talents the chance to
create and shine through various sites, including the site for young
composers, appropriately named www.youngcomposers.com.
This site provides a discussion board for young composers. Topics
commonly discussed include the various types of music people compose,
problems they run into, software to use, jobs available, and so on.
Young composers are given the opportunity to submit their compositions
in the form of a MIDI file and surfers can listen at will. This is
an inexpensive way for a young composer to have his or her work exposed
to a greater audience through a very public domain. It is also a way
for the young composer to receive "copyright" on their music.
Able Minds, Inc. states very clearly in their legal notice, that they
will do their best to defend the works of their young talents. The
young composers database, containing submission information of the
compositions, will be called upon to prove copyright if there ever
was in question a piece illegally copied and used outside of the consent
of registered young composers.
Based on this particular aspect, young composers are secured in knowing
their works submitted are being publicized without the danger of outsiders
stealing their work as their own. The ability to listen to so many
original works by other young composers, which is defined as age 39
and under, probably also contributes to the quality of compositions
as well. The discussion boards are very helpful for new composers
in need of advice from the "veterans" and most comments
have been very helpful.
Overall this site definitely has very good intentions. Able Minds,
Inc.'s promotion of amateur works is certainly successful when it
can offer a portal for public exposure without taking away the creative
rights of the composers. Unlike other sites where a certain tool is
offered, and where any composition on the site would belong to the
site, www.youngcomposers.com does not offer any software or other
composition tools except the friendly advice of other composers. They
do no intrude upon the creation of compositions and therefore does
not claim any rights to them. This is by far the most optimal use
of a public domain to promote amateur work I have seen so far. If
only more sites out there can promote and encourage the amateur works
as well as this site. Bravo.