Samara Jones is a 4th Grader at Windy River Elementary in Boardman, Oregon. This year, she received First Place prize in the statewide Oregon Music Education Association (OMEA) Student Composition Contest for her entry My Wonderland, a beautiful blend of string instruments.
Jones was invited to attend the OMEA banquet in Eugene, Oregon as the First Prize winner in the Elementary School category. She attended and was presented with her award that night.
Jones has been interested in music her whole life. Before she started formal composition training, Samara had taken piano lessons online. This allowed her to experiment with and alter existing pieces of music, sharpening her creative and listening skills.
“Sometimes, starting from scratch is hard, but if you can start with one piece that somebody else already made, and start messing around with it, then that can be a good starting point. I would say that that’s something that really helped you.” -Mary Jones
She first explored composition in third grade at Sam Boardman Elementary, when she wrote a song for her music teacher and played it at school. This experience sparked her interest in composing more music, which led her to take composition lessons to develop her skills further.
This year, Jones took 1st place for her piece “My Wonderland,” a blend of sounds made using only the violin and ukulele. Last year, Jones entered and won the competition with “Dancing in the Moonlight,” a piano solo. With this kind of track record, it is no surprise that Jones is keeping music in her sights and exploring new competitions to enter. When asked what advice she would give to other aspiring composers, Samara shared:
“It will probably be easier for them if they are already into music. And if they aren’t, probably start listening to more music,” -Samara Jones
Some of the challenges that come with this type of work include finding inspiration for what to write at times. Some of the strategies she uses to help are listening to other sounds, like the pre-recorded settings on her keyboard. She shares candidly, “Sometimes it just doesn’t come for a few hours.” During times like this, her parents and her musical composition instructor Mr. Fuss are people she can turn to for encouragement and support.
“Getting started is a bit hard. But after you’re started, and you know what you’re doing it gets easier.” -Samara Jones
“She always has headphones on, so we don’t get to hear it usually ‘til the piece is more ‘done’, but it’s pretty fun to watch because she’ll be riffing off of her own work - and she usually doesn’t listen to a piece all the way through before she continues to poke and poke. The way her brain comes up with new melodies and lines is pretty incredible. If someone enjoys creating new things, like stories or art - it can be really fun to watch their process. Having the courage to do it is hard, and that’s one of the things I’m very proud of.” -Mary Jones
As Music in Our Schools Month approaches this March, Samara’s story is a powerful reminder of how music can inspire creativity, build confidence, and motivate others to pursue their passions.