Electronic Music Showcase Application

Application Deadline: June 10, 2026

Welcome to the NYSSMA Electronic Music Showcase Application! Students who submit a composition will receive a written evaluation of their piece, as well as consideration for inclusion in the 31st Annual Electronic Music Showcase at the NYSSMA Winter Conference in Rochester. Selected students will also participate in coaching workshops and a post-concert reflection with their fellow student composers and members of the NYSSMA Composition & Songwriting Committee.

AGE CATEGORIES:

  • Grades K-5
  • Grades 6-8
  • Grades 9-12

(Works by 12th graders will receive evaluations but can not be considered for concert performance.)

Although composition quality is the primary criterion, NYSSMA will attempt to represent all three age categories and will seek to program a concert of varied style, genre and instrumentation.

RULES AND REGULATIONS:

  • Each K-12 student applicant must be enrolled in a NYSSMA Participating School or District in order to be eligible to submit compositions.
  • Compositions must not exceed five (5) minutes in duration.
  • Composition submissions shall include audio or video recordings (AIFF/WAV/MP4/MOV files compressed into ZIP format).
  • Compositions should either be composed electronically or include electronic instruments (vocal and/or acoustic instruments may be combined with electronic instruments) and should be intended to be performed in a recorded format.
  • Composition submissions must be created by the student(s); Compositions created through the use of Artificial Intelligence applications (such as Suno, etc.) will not be accepted.
  • Each applicant may submit a maximum of two compositions. The fee is $36 for each submission.
  • Students whose compositions are selected will be expected to attend the Winter Conference Electronic Music Showcase and are expected to attend the NYSSMA Winter Conference on December 3-4, 2026.
  • Travel, housing and other expenses for students who attend the Winter Conference are the responsibility of the students' family and/or sponsoring school.

EVALUATION CRITERIA:

The committee evaluates the submitted compositions based on three broad criteria:

  • Compositional Technique includes the following elements, where applicable:
    • Organization of pitch elements such as melody, harmony
    • Organization of rhythmic elements
    • Organization of non-pitch sonic elements
    • Structure and Arrangement
  • Production Technique, which may include the following aspects:
    • Sound Design and Texture
    • Effects and Processing
    • Balance and Audio Mixing
  • Overall Musical Appeal, which may include the following aspects:
    • Stylistic coherence, regardless of the particular style, where applicable
    • Effective handling of unity/variety and tension/release
    • Interaction of all of the musical elements (atmosphere, mood, direction, flow of the work)

The above criteria are not intended as a "checklist" for each student to go through as they compose a piece. Each work is unique. The committee attempts to assess each composition on its own merit.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

  • Complete the Application Form no later than June 10, 2026.
  • To access the application form:
  • Click the “Submit Abstract” button near the top of this page (“Abstract” is the term being used for your submission).
  • Select "Log In" in the top right corner.
  • Select "create an account" and follow the prompts.
  • Complete the application form.
  • Be sure to include contact information for the student, student’s parents, and teacher of the student.
  • Upload an audio file recording (AIFF/WAV/MP4/MOV) of the composition compressed into ZIP format. Files must be less than 50MB. There are many free on-line sites you can use to convert and compress your file.
  • Remember your login information! You can return to this site to review or edit your submissions.
  • Submit payment ($36 for one song, $72 for two).

For further information, please contact Dr. Rob Deemer, NYSSMA Composition Committee Chair at comp@nyssma.org.