VOICES is holding its 20^th annual music composition contest for children and free workshops for children 5 to 12.

"...a great opportunity for children to develop their musical talent and get feedback from a professional composer."

Since 1987, the VOICES Music Composition Contest for Children has provided over 350 young composers with the impetus to write music. The composition program also provides song-writing workshops led by Lyn Ransom and other VOICES members for local children, and opportunities for classroom and piano teachers to make music theory concrete and to stimulate creative thinking. All children who enjoy music are encouraged to attend and participate.

VOICES' Music Composition Contest is a great opportunity for children to develop their musical talent and get feedback from a professional composer. Children ages 5 to 12 are invited to compose a piece of music with a vocal element. In honor of VOICES 20th anniversary, children may wish to write a song of celebration (birthday or other event). They are asked to write it down in any kind of notation (formal or invented) and make a cassette or CD-R recording. Submit the recording and three written copies, the child's name and age, assisting adult's name, phone number, address, and the child's background in music, together with a $5.00 processing fee, to: VOICES Composition Contest, P.O. Box 404, Pennington, NJ 08534. Deadline for submissions is April 15, 2008. Established composers will review all entries and children will receive feedback and encouragement on their submissions. Over half of the entrants will receive a prize, a pint of ice cream. Others will be "runners-up."

Free Songwriter's Workshops for Children ages 5 to 12 will also be held at the following locations:

• Saturday, March 15, 2008, 9:30 - 11:00 am: Hopewell Public Library, 245 Pennington-Titusville Road, Pennington, NJ
• Saturday, March 15, 2008, at 11:30 - 1:00 pm: West Windsor Public Library, 333 North Post Road, Princeton-Junction, NJ
• Monday, March 17, 2008, at 1:30 - 3:00 pm: Morrisville Free Library, 300 N. Pennsylvania Avenue, Morrisville, PA
• Monday, March 17, 2008, at 4:00 - 5:30 pm: Yardley Free Library, 1080 Edgewood Road, Yardley, PA

Children who enjoy music are encouraged to attend. They will improvise rhymes based on poems and chants, and create melodies from short phrases. Topics will be those of interest to children: food, animals, parents, vehicles, funny situations, etc., and the children will learn how to create rhythmic accompaniment. Selected compositions will be performed at the VOICES Young Composers Concert, which will take place on June 16, 2008, at the Music Together Community Room, 225 Pennington-Hopewell, Rd., Hopewell, NJ.

For more information, please call Barbara Weinfield, Contest Coordinator, at 609-462-4984.