This year, our school-wide theme at EKS Music School is Living Composers—a focus that helps students discover that music is not only something written centuries ago, but something actively created by composers living and working today. Through this theme, students study the music of living composers, learn their musical language, and gain a deeper understanding of how ideas, creativity, and technique come together in real time. In the month of October, our students explored the music of Chicago-based composer Christopher Goldston, learning and performing his compositions throughout the fall semester.
Last Saturday, January 10, learning became an unforgettable real-life experience when students had the opportunity to meet Mr. Goldston in person. The event began with a piano masterclass, where eight selected students performed their prepared pieces and received individualized coaching. During the masterclass, students worked on articulation, phrasing, balance between the hands, tone color, and shaping musical ideas with clarity and expression. Mr. Goldston encouraged students to listen carefully, respond thoughtfully, and explore how small details can make a big musical difference.
The masterclass was made even more special by performing on the Steinway Spirio piano at M. Steinert & Sons. One of the Spirio’s most exciting features is its playback function, which allowed students to listen to their own performances immediately after playing. Hearing themselves from the audience’s perspective helped students better understand their articulation, balance, and phrasing, turning listening into an active and powerful learning experience.
Following the masterclass, students participated in a hands-on composition workshop with Mr. Goldston. In this session, students learned how composers use the circle of fifths to establish harmony and structure in their own compositions. By experimenting with these ideas, students gained insight into how music is built and how theory directly supports creativity and imagination.
From studying a living composer’s music in the fall to performing, composing, and being coached by the composer himself, this event beautifully reflected our Living Composertheme. It was a joyful, inspiring, and meaningful day—one that reminded our students that music is alive, personal, and something they can actively shape and create.
