Last Spring I created a website called the Wiki Collaborative Composition Project. The intention of the site was to create two compositions (one for middle school band, the other for chorus) using the wiki environment. For those of you who are new to the wiki concept, wikis are documents or websites that can be edited by anyone. I created the site because I was interested to see what would happen if a large group of people collaborated one one piece - each with the ability to edit anything that is already written or add measures to the piece. The end result of each composition would be a piece that would be free to anyone who wanted to perform it with a large by-line.

Although th site generated quite a bit of interest at first, it has sadly slowed down to a snail’s pace. I would really like to get this project started again, so I am calling all composers - amateur, students, professionals, or hacks like myself to visit the site, download the files (they are Sibelius files), and add some music, and see what happens. Please pass this on to anyone who you think might be interested in joining the project. I am hoping to get something finished by the end of the year.

I welcome your comments and suggestions.

This past Saturday I was reading a book entitled Infotopia by Cass Sunstein, and I came up with an idea. The book focuses on how wikis can be used in various settings, and I began thinking about how wikis could be used when composing music. Yesterday I created a new page on this blog called The Wiki Collaborative Composition Project. The idea behind it uses the wiki format to allow many people (students, teachers and composers alike) to compose a piece for middle school band. I have posted 8 measures to get things started. I welcome everyone who reads this blog to join the effort to see what happens with composition in the wiki environment. There are a few rules that I put in place to keep things together. In the next few weeks, I will be putting together a separate site to host the wiki composition, but for now I’d love to get started on this idea. So, if you have Sibelius 4.0 and would like to join the project, download the file by clicking here, visit my new wiki site for the project, or view it here by using Scorch, and get composing!

I welcome your comments and suggestions.