How old were you when you started composing?
9 years old

What do you love most about composing music?
Figuring out how to express an idea or tell a story with music. Composing also helps me understand the pieces I play on the piano.

Tell us a little about your winning YWCC composition
"Departures" is a piece about comings and goings until it reaches a final destination in the form of a wistful chorale.

What was your process/approach to composing your piece for YWCC?
I wanted to focus on the harmony of the piece and the idea of modulation (the transitioning from one "home" key to another). I created a chord progression and used secondary dominance to smoothly transition from each of these chords. I then created a melody around these chords and used mixed fragments of it across the keys.

What is your advice to someone who is interested in composing a piece but does not know where to start?
I would start with some concept (or place, object, experience, etc.), and then find a strong, memorable theme--it can be very short!--to go with it. Once you have a theme, add interesting chords and incorporate your theme in different ways throughout the piece.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
I also play piano in my school's jazz band.