Alex Shapiro facts for kids
Alex Shapiro (born January 11, 1962) is an American composer. She writes many kinds of music, including acoustic and electroacoustic music. Her music mixes different styles like pop, jazz, and electronic dance music. She also creates sounds that feel like they belong in movies.
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Alex Shapiro's Early Life and Learning
Alex Shapiro grew up in New York City. She started learning music at a young age. She began composing her own music when she was just 9 years old.
Music Studies and Schools
When Alex was 15, she started taking formal composition lessons. She studied at the Mannes College of Music in the summers of 1977 and 1978. She also attended the Aspen Music School and Festival. In 1979, she was accepted into the Juilliard Pre-College Division, a special program for young musicians. She graduated from Juilliard in 1980.
After high school, Alex went to the Manhattan School of Music. There, she continued to study composition with famous teachers like Ursula Mamlok and John Corigliano. In 1983, she moved to Los Angeles to compose music for a documentary film. She lived in Los Angeles for 24 years before moving to San Juan Island in Washington State in 2007.
Alex Shapiro's Music Career
Alex Shapiro first wrote music for commercials and films. Later, she decided to focus on writing music for concerts. She has created over 200 pieces for large groups, choirs, and solo performers.
Unique Instruments and Sounds
Alex is known for using unusual items in her music. She has used printer paper, metal bowls of water, rocks, ping pong balls, and balloons. For example, her pieces "Paper Cut" (2010) and "Rock Music" (2016) feature these items. She also uses recorded sounds from everyday life in her works, like in "Beneath" (2010) and "Trains of Thought" (2017).
She is a leader in bringing technology into music for wind bands. She was one of the first composers to hold online practice sessions, which she called "webhearsals." Many university papers have been written about her music. Conductor Aaron Noe said that Alex Shapiro is "a master at blending live performance and electronic performance."
Music for Young Musicians
Alex Shapiro also writes special pieces for student bands. Her 2010 piece "Paper Cut" was for band, a pre-recorded track, and printer paper. She has created pieces like "Count to Ten" and "Kitchen Sync" (both from 2021) to help students learn complex rhythms in a fun way. Her piece "Slump" (2024) even asks musicians to change their posture while playing.
Alex started composing for wind bands in 2007. Before that, she mostly wrote for smaller groups. A journalist named Kyle Gann wrote that Alex "can write any kind of music she wants." He also noted her "deep connection to nature."
Recorded Music and Special Projects
Alex Shapiro's music is on over 40 commercially released albums. Two albums are completely dedicated to her work: "Notes From the Kelp" (2007) and "Arcana" (2020).
In 2015, Clemson University asked her to create music for the Clemson University Tiger Band's entrance video. This music is still used today when the marching band enters the stadium.
Public Speaking and Appearances
Besides composing, Alex Shapiro is a popular speaker and writer. She has given talks at many national music conferences. These include The Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic and the Texas Music Educators Association convention.
She has also been a composer-in-residence at many universities and festivals. This means she visits these places, and they often perform concerts featuring her music.
Advocating for Music and Artists
Alex Shapiro is very active in supporting the music community in the U.S.
Helping Composers and Musicians
Since 2014, she has been on the Board of Directors for ASCAP. She is the first woman to be elected to this position for concert music composers since ASCAP started in 1914. She also helps lead The ASCAP Foundation.
Alex co-founded the ASCAP Composer Career Workshop. From 2009 to 2015, she gave presentations to composers about important business skills for musicians. She has also served on the boards of other important music organizations, like The Aaron Copland Fund for Music and the Music Publishers Association of the United States.
She is a mentor for programs that help young composers, including "Compose Like a Girl." In 2021, she received the Outstanding Service to Music Award from Tau Beta Sigma, a national band fraternity.
Support During the Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Alex Shapiro helped musicians and students. She was the only composer on a special committee that helped music programs continue during the pandemic. She also created an online lesson plan called "Putting the E- in Ensemble" to help students learn music from home.
Technology and Music
Alex Shapiro is also a leader in discussing how technology affects music. She has spoken about digital rights and how artificial intelligence (AI) impacts artists. She often talks about new technology and its importance in the music industry.
Beyond Music Advocacy
Alex Shapiro has also been involved in other important causes. From 1990 to 1996, she served on the board of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California (ACLU/SC). She worked to protect people's rights and was honored with three awards for her activism.
Writings by Alex Shapiro
Alex Shapiro has written many articles and chapters about music.
- Between 2003 and 2018, she wrote 11 essays for the online magazine NewMusicBox.
- She wrote a chapter called "Releasing A Student's Inner Composer" in the 2013 book "Musicianship: Composing in Band and Orchestra."
- Her music pieces "Paper Cut" and "Tight Squeeze" are featured in Volume 10 of the book series "Teaching Music Through Performance in Band."
- She co-authored a chapter called "Reaching Out and Bringing Women In" in the 2020 book "The Horizon Leans Forward..."
- She also wrote a two-part article about music, multimedia, and education in the digital world for WASBE World magazine in 2014.
- From 2006 to 2016, she wrote a blog called "Notes from the Kelp," sharing her music, photos, and essays.
Film Appearances
Alex Shapiro has appeared in three films by Michael Stillwater: "Shining Night," "In Search of the Great Song" (which also includes some of her music), and "Beyond the Fear of Singing."
Other Interests
Alex Shapiro loves photography, especially wildlife and landscapes. Her photos have been shown in exhibits, including at Seattle's Museum of Flight.
From 1983 to 1994, she was interested in reptiles and amphibians. She cared for many different kinds of snakes, frogs, and lizards.
Selected Music Recordings
Here are some albums that feature Alex Shapiro's music:
- From a Deep Blue Sky, includes: Train of Thought. 2023.
- Suspended, includes: Suspended. 2022.
- Arcana, includes: Spark; Slowly, Searching; Arcana; Piano Suite No. 1, The Resonance of Childhood; Intermezzo; Chord History; Luvina; Sonata for Piano. 2020.
- Double or Nothing, includes: Deep. 2018.
- Everything Beautiful, includes: Liquid Compass; Tight Squeeze. 2016.
- 250 Piano Pieces for Beethoven, includes: Chord History. 2016.
- Atmospheres, includes: Water Crossing. 2015.
- Excelsior, includes: Perpetual Spark. 2013.
- The Dreams Of Birds, includes: Intermezzo. 2012.
- An Robert Schumann, includes: Slowly, searching. 2010.
- Delicate Balance, includes: Water Crossing. 2010.
- Below: Music for Low Flutes, includes: Below. 2009.
- Notes From The Kelp, includes: Slipping; Bioplasm; Current Events; For My Father; At the Abyss; Phos Hilaron; Music for Two Big Instruments; Deep. 2007.
- Solo Rumores, includes: Luvina. 2007.
- Saxtronic Soundscape, includes: Desert Tide. 2007.
- Trumpet Colors, includes: Elegy. 2007.
- Californian Concert: Music of European Immigrants and Their American Contemporaries, includes: For My Father. 2006.
- Music for Hammers and Sticks, includes: At the Abyss. 2005.
- Coast to Coast, includes: Music for Two Big Instruments. 2005.
- Beck and Call, includes: Of Breath and Touch; Deep. 2005.
- New American Piano Music, includes: Sonata for Piano. 2001.
- Clariphonia - Music Of The 20th Century On Clarinet, includes: Trio For Violin, Clarinet And Piano. 2000.
Studies About Alex Shapiro's Music
Many university papers and studies have been written about Alex Shapiro's music. These include topics like:
- How music creativity continued during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Choosing diverse music for school bands.
- The use of flexible music for bands.
- Including more women composers in band music.
- Using electronics in wind band music.
- The influence of minimalist music styles.
