Water, water everywhere with April’s Challenge

Prof. P’s “A Never Ending Cycle” follows the watery trails of our blue planet

Prof. P, better known to friends and family as Princeton, is a sophomore in high school who took the prize in April’s “Water Cycle” challenge. He answered a few questions about his relationship with music and this specific composition - enjoy!

What is your story with music and composing?

Both of my parents wrote music, mostly as either raps or songs. So I’ve been around music forever, even though I only got serious about it about 4 years ago. That’s when I really started working on my piano skills, pushing myself to get better and creating my first real pieces on the piano.

Then about 2.5 years ago, I decided to focus on composing as a career, because that’s what I plan on doing with my future in music. I joined Flat at the same time, and it’s been a great tool in helping me to get better!

You won April’s challenge. Can you share the creative process you went through for that beautiful piece?

My main starting point for “A Never Ending Cycle” was to not think as much about water itself, but more about the idea of a cycle. So I wanted to represent the cycle, with water-like parts coming in as a booster, a leitmotif connecting the whole piece together.

I don’t know that I can really explain exactly what that motif ended up as, but I think it’s very obvious while listening to the piece, and that includes the acciaccatura. At any rate, once I’d figured that out, I worked on having the right melodies and harmonies throughout the song, matching each section.

What advice do you have for other composers joining in the challenges?

Don’t worry about what anyone else is doing! Don’t let anyone else’s score make you feel that yours isn’t good enough. I’ve always had that creeping feeling during challenges - including this one - but if you can put that out of your mind, it’ll help you focus on what you really want to accomplish with your piece.

Once again, congrats to Prof. P, and don’t miss out on listening to the winning piece 🎼🎼 And we can’t wait to see what you, the Flat community, come up with for May’s challenge!