Allison Bergman, a senior at Brainerd High School (BHS), received a $500 scholarship for her essay submitted to the Minnesota High School Music Listening Contest (MLC). The MLC is a program designed to assist teachers in their efforts to expand the musical experiences of students through a statewide contest. Scholarship applicants were asked to write a 500- to 750-word reflection connecting elements of a piece or composer's story from this year's MLC Study Guide to the student's life.
Bergman's essay compared medieval composer Baude Cordier's Tout Par Compas to Bergman's challenges in navigating her last year of high school and planning for the future. "Cordier's Tout Par Compas is a musical puzzle in which there is a balance in parts yet disorder in the composition leading to finality," Bergman wrote. "We follow the instruments through a path and, in order to get to the end, you must choose your direction. In my life I have found that I have many hard choices to make in which I must pick an avenue to head towards."
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"Cordier's Tout Par Compas is a musical puzzle in which there is a balance in parts yet disorder in the composition leading to finality," Bergman wrote. "We follow the instruments through a path and, in order to get to the end, you must choose your direction. In my life I have found that I have many hard choices to make in which I must pick an avenue to head towards."
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Bergman received her scholarship Feb. 6 at the MLC Championship event at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. Bergman's coach is Brian Stubbs, BHS choir director.
The MLC is an independent not-for-profit competition providing an opportunity to enrich students' experiences with classical, ethnic, and popular music in a fun and competitive environment. In this statewide contest, students develop skills in active listening and critical analysis by learning to identify composers, cultures, periods and styles. Each fall, teachers or coaches recruit three students to form a team. The teams receive a study guide and repertoire compact discs that contain all the musical selections they will need to compete effectively. All teams participate in regional competitions in January and first- and second-place teams advance to the state competition in February. The MLC offers a $500 scholarship essay competition for high school seniors.
For more information, go to www.musiclisteningcontest.com .
