The Experience of Teaching and Collaborating with a Young Composer in the Creation of an Electro-acoustic Piece

This paper describes the aesthetic and technical characteristics as well as the process of creating the interactive piece Gestures. This piece was written for two trumpets, two violas, two trombones, double bass, and six electronic devices called “Shapers.” The Shapers were designed to be played by children with or without musical training. Gestures, which was performed as part of the Toy Symphony concerts in April and May of 2003, is the result of a close collaboration between Natasha Sinha, a 13-year-old composer and the author. First the Toy Symphony project (including its technical challenges and pedagogic features) is described. The characteristics of Gestures are then described; finally, the compositional process and the experience of working in collaboration with Natasha Sinha are discussed.