June 2, 2005

Colin Aitken: Child composer extraordinaire

By Lorraine Gabbert
Staff Writer

Colin Aitken is a typical 9-year-old boy with one exception. Although he enjoys the usual things boys do, like Cub Scouts, playing sports and hanging out with his friends, he also composes his own music.

To composer Colin Aitken, playing the piano is a labor of love. His work is being recognized on a state level.

“I like to make up my own music,” said Aikten, a fourth-grader at Graystone Elementary School. “Because it is fun to play a piece and be able to say that I created it. Creating and playing music makes me feel happy.”

He began taking piano lessons at the tender age of 5. At age 8, he composed his first piece, and at age 9, his composition entitled, “March in C Major,” won first place in his age category in the Santa Clara County branch of the Music Teachers Society of California competition. As a result, he was recently invited to play at the Composers Today Branch Honors Recital, held at the Saratoga Federated Church Chapel.

Acknowledged on a state level as well, Aitken has also been invited to perform his prepared improvisation and composition at the Music Teachers Association of California Convention in Sacramento.

Aitken learned to play piano and compose music from his teacher, Marilynn Carstens, who has shared her talent with students for more than 50 years. In classes named after classical composers, she teaches her students about rhythm, key, dynamics, music history, theory and to read music, all the while keeping it fun. Waddling like penguins, her younger students learn to move their bodies to music, which helps them to embody these concepts.

Carstens’ students also learn to translate visualizations into sound. At their very first class, they are asked to improvise music along themes like earth and sky, and at age 5, are taught to play “Happy Birthday,” so they can share their talent with others.

In the nurturing environment of her home studio in Willow Glen, Carstens instills her students with a sense of self-esteem, as well as self-expression, and ceremoniously anoints them 21st-century composers upon completion of their pieces.

On a recent school project, when Aitken was asked to list an important person in his life, he named Carstens. “She has shared her passion for composition and encouraged him to create his own music,” said Colin’s mother, Denise Aitken. “They share a very special bond.”

In the tradition of the masters, Carstens’ students learn step by step, initially imitating classical composers, then improvising on these pieces and finally creating their own. “Their compositions come from their hearts and souls,” she said. “Through music they gain a voice, and confidence which carries over into other areas. It is a gift for life.”

Denise agrees. “When I was looking for a music teacher, I was looking not just for piano lessons, but a total music experience,” she said. “When I heard about Marilynn Carstens, and her philosophy and teaching methods, I knew I had found what I was looking for.”

Colin Aitken and his music teacher, Marilynn Carstens, share a special bond.

Although baseball, swim practice and other activities beckon, Aitken devotes his time to practicing the piano without complaint. “Music has always come naturally to Colin,” said Denise. “He is a boy who cannot walk past a piano without stopping to play it.”

Making the grade and having the opportunity to perform at these special recitals was an added incentive for Aitken’s hard work, especially as his older brother, Robert James (R.J.), previously has. “When R.J. was chosen to play in the honors recital and again at the Music Teachers Convention, Colin could hardly wait until he could do that, too,” said Denise.

At the honors recital, Aitken was more excited than nervous. Not only was he prepared, having memorized his piece, but even more, he had been looking forward to this day for a long time.

For the first portion of the performance, nine students played their prepared improvisations, which ranged from “Birds Flying across the Sky” to “Leprechauns” and “Lost Love.” As the next to youngest, Aitken was second to play. His piece, “Music for a Dance Class,” was light-hearted, complex and adept. Through his music, Aitken brought to life the image of ballerinas practicing plies at the barre, executing twirling pirouettes and leaping across the dance floor.

Next, students were asked to create “music of the moment,” an instant musical improvisation based upon a written phrase randomly chosen from a box, with such themes as the circus, wind, or an event from a classical composer’s life. Each of the nine students had a go, but when asked if they’d like to do it again, only two were up for the challenge—and one was Colin Aitken. He approached the stage, plucked a slip of paper from the animal crackers circus box and approached the piano without hesitation. He played beautifully and vividly conveyed the experience of trick riding to music, his pride evident across his face.

Finally, came the moment the students, teachers, and parents had been waiting for—the performance of the students’ original compositions. Aitken played his award-winning “March in C Major” flawlessly, and ever the consummate professional, closed with a well-executed bow. He performed well, and it showed, as the smile that played upon his lips was reflected in the joy in his eyes.

Seeing her students perform delights Carstens. “That’s what it’s all about,” she said.

“Watching him enjoy the benefit of his blood, sweat and tears…is wonderful,” said Denise. “Although making up musical pieces on the piano comes very easily to Colin, sitting down and writing them out is very difficult as penmanship is his worst subject in school, and neatness definitely counts when entering competitions.”

The first year he competed, Aitken did not place in the competition. Although he was invited to play at the honors recital, he was not chosen to play at the state convention. However, this disappointment only fueled his determination to try harder, and eventually succeed. Now, he is enjoying the fruits of his labor and the satisfaction that comes from a job well done. “We are proud of his efforts and determination,” said Denise. “His talent is simply a gift from God.”

Aitken likes to listen to Beethoven and the Who. His favorite subjects are math and science and he wants to be a scientist or a composer for a band when he grows up. In the near future, he would like to be in a band and hopes to enter a national composing contest. One thing is certain: music will always be a part of his life.

Carstens feels the same way. “I’ll keep doing this until I die,” she said. At that time, a note will be posted on her door that will read: “Mrs. Carstens went on to her next adventure. She loves you very much and wants you to keep making music.”