Essay Contest

The Essay Contest conducted by the Oregon Symphony Association in Salem (OSAS) has a history of many successful years within the Salem Public School System. The contest is conducted each fall and is open to all elementary and middle schools in the District. It is generally combined with other classroom studies.

With the assistance of the school’s music educator, these students write essays expressing the meaning of music to them, often answering the question “What music means to me!”. They find many creative avenues to describe their feelings and emotions, revealed and experienced through music. The music educator is the main contact, but the contest is open to any classroom educator.

OSAS reads these essays and selects outstanding ones from all the submissions. Each school is guaranteed at least one winner. Certificates are presented to students with winning essays by an OSAS board director at the school’s direction.

Students with winning essays and their teachers are given two tickets each to a spring Oregon Symphony classical concert in Salem, where they are recognized from the stage. Essays are available for reading by symphony patrons in the lobby the evening of the concert. Excerpts of the essays appear in the program for that evening’s concert as well.

The ultimate goal of the Essay contest is to reward students for their love of music, their ability to communicate that, and to let them experience the magic of an Oregon Symphony concert. We also honor the contributions of our public school teachers by inviting the winning student’s teacher to the concert as well.