Yellowknife (Oct 08/04) - Yellowknife's Daisy Hilchey placed fourth in the western region of a national composing contest.

What's remarkable is that Hilchey is six years old.

She wrote the song titled "Sneaky Bumblebee" as part of her class in the Music for Young Children program. The program runs the annual children's composing contest from its Ottawa office.

Daisy Hilchey, 6, performs her song Sneaky Bumblebee on the piano at Calvary Community Church. Hilchey was a finalist in a national composing contest for children. - Jennifer Geens/NNSL photo

"Sneaky Bumblebee" is about a cat who is creeping up on a bee. When the cat gets distracted by a bird, the bee turns the table and outsmarts the cat.

At four, Hilchey was a finalist in the same contest with a song called "Kitty in the Cradle."

Sneaky Bumblebee joins Hilchey's ever-growing musical oeuvre, which also includes "Soaring Eagle" and "Little Pony." She's currently working on a spooky Halloween song.

Caroline Auer teaches the Music for Young Children program in Yellowknife.

The group lessons for parents and children introduce musical theory and practices at an early age.

For example, the students work on keyboard skills, learn notes, scales, time measures and composing techniques, in addition to singing songs and moving to music.

Students graduate from the program having passed Grade 1 level piano exams from the Royal Conservatory of Canada.

"It's a lot of fun to teach it," said Auer.

Classes in small groups of four to six students make it more fun than private lessons for both the kids and the teacher. The curriculum is challenging, introducing concepts most students don't meet up with until years later.

"Some of this I didn't learn at all at school," said Auer. "Especially the composing."

Creating process

The compositions the kids create for the contest aren't your average riff on "Mary had a little lamb."

The students create a right hand melody, then compose a harmonizing part for the left hand, using treble and bass clef notes. They then write it all down on proper staff (music paper).

Of course, if you're four, you get to use animal stickers for the notes.

The program has spread from Canada and the U.S. to New Zealand and South Korea. The main office in Ottawa receives about 12,000 contest entries every year from students. Instructors travel to Ottawa and spend a weekend playing and listening to the compositions to select the finalists.

In the three years Auer has taught the program in Yellowknife, she has had three students become finalists in Canada's Western Region.

Hilchey has done it twice.

"I have quite a few talented composers in my class," said Auer.

Auer said the idea of entering a national competition gives students an incentive to write out their songs.

"And in the end everyone gets a big sticker for participating," she said.