SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. - Two students from the Southern Delaware School of the Arts took first place in the Delaware Music Educator Association's Young Composer Competition. After submitting last spring, DMEA announced the winners this summer.
Last school year, the school started offering a music composition course. Students were able to implement their skills outside of the classroom by entering into the Electronic Music category of the competition. Francesca Caligiure took home first place in the state of Delaware at the elementary level and Nicholas Rubino did the same for the middle school level. Each student had to submit a composition that was at least two minutes in length.
"I was feeling surprised, like I actually won something I haven't. I don't really want a lot of things. I've never really won like competition before until then," said Rubino.
Caligiure says she first began composing using the computer software, Sprunki while Rubino used BandLab, a software also used in the school's music composition course. According to teacher, Mary Caligiure, composing music can be challenging at any age.
"You have to know a lot about the intricacies of music in order to actually compose," said Caligiure. "It's different than just playing an instrument and knowing how to use an instrument. It's understanding the big picture of a song."
The students were recognized at an Indian River School District Board of Education meeting last week. Southern Delaware School of the Arts offers many artistic classes including dance, theatre, art, and music. Mrs. Caligiure tells WBOC why it is important for the students to have a creative outlet.
"I'm a firm believer, especially as we're moving more into AI and different, you know, more advanced technology," said Caligiure. "I just think it's so important for students to continue to build their creativity, because that's something we don't want to lose, especially as more things become more AI generated for them to continue to build their own creativity. The arts are so vital right now, maybe even more so than ever."