Compose Like a Girl

In this episode, Jocelyn talks with composer and her long time close friend, Abbie Betinis. They talk about their entwined education history, how they charted their own paths through motherhood and composition, and discuss how they approach and recognize craft and style in music. Episode Transcript Companion playlists: Youtube , Spotify Learn more: https://linktr.ee/ComposeLikeaGirl Support us: Buy Me a Coffee Relevant Links: A Blessing of Cranes with poetry by Michael Dennis Browne Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight Rhapsodos American Suzuki Foundation St. Olaf College University of MN Twin Cities School of Music European American Musical Alliance Peter Hamlin Judith Lang Zaimont Nadia Boulanger Philip Lasser Stephen Paulus "Examining Shifts in Repertoire Programming Practices: Pre- and Post-Pandemic" by Mark Helms, published in the September 2025 issue of the Choral Journal (Vol. 66, No. 2, p. 6). Having it All by Corrine Low On Being with Krista Tippett: Alice Parker – "Singing Is the Most Companionable of Arts" The Answering Voice: The Beginnings of Counterpoint by Alice Parker

In this episode, Jocelyn talks with Georgia Stitt about her career in musical theater, the multifaceted Maestra project, navigating the need for community and isolation in creativity, and what it means to be in the very small club where your husband is also a composer. Companion playlists: Youtube , Spotify Episode Transcript Learn more: https://linktr.ee/ComposeLikeaGirl Support us: Buy Me a Coffee Order Here I Am: Choral Music of Jocelyn Hagen from True Concord Voices and Orchestra Relevant Links: Snow Child based on the novel by Eowyn Ivey Bell Tower Stop from the album A Quiet Revolution The Danger Year Let This Darkness Be a Bell Tower Maestra Maestra Directory Maestra Mentorship run by Meg Zervoulis Bate and Sonya Hayden Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program Summer Stock Stage (SSS) Princeton University John Morris Russell Eric Whitacre Mary Mitchell Campbell Cincinnati Pops Orchestra Time’s Up Plus One initiative The Artist’s Way Violet by Jeanine Tesori The Last Five Years (movie version) tick, tick... BOOM! directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda (movie version) Sweet Charity with Sutton Foster , directed by Lee Silverman

In this episode, Jocelyn talks with Cynthia Lee Wong about how she incorporates visuals and animations into her music as a way to invite audiences in. Companion playlists: Youtube , Spotify Support us: Buy Me a Coffee Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl Episode Transcript Performers on "Moon" from Six Gupta Songs: Ashley Stone, mezzo-soprano Christina Wright-Ivanova, piano Relevant Links: Cynthia’s Website Cynthia’s Youtube Carnival Fever In the Blink of An Eye composed for ROCO Chamber Orchestra Fates and Furies Piano Quartet inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's story “Ligeia” Six Gupta Songs Juilliard Journal League of Composers/ISCM Milton Babbitt David Del Tredici Samuel Adler New England Conservatory Preparatory Division Python coding Blender (3D animation program) Apple Motion Stable Diffusion (AI image generator) Jocelyn’s The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci and filmmaker Isaac Gale

In this episode, Jocelyn talks with Nathalie Joachim about different musical modalities as vehicles for creative expression, being present and resisting the pressures of capitalist-demanded output, and unlearning perfectionism. Companion playlists: Youtube , Spotify Episode Transcript Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl Relevant Links: Nathalie Joachim Flutronix Fanm d'Ayiti , Album Ki moun ou ye , Album Erin Patrice O’Brien , photographer Malin Lindaeus Vintage Store in Brooklyn, NY Blood Sister from She is Called: Dear Stranger , Brooklyn Youth Chorus

In this episode, Jocelyn talks with Alex Shapiro about writing from your gut and your heart, the compositional process behind her pieces Spark and Tight Squeeze, and how to prevent the gerbils in your mind from taking over your creative process. Companion playlists: Youtube , Spotify Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl Transcript PDF Relevant Links: Tight Squeeze commissioned through Composers and Schools in Concert consortium Spark written in honor of Dale Mara Bershad Lights Out Paper Cut Bioplasm Proximity to Europe Theory , Pages 18-19 San Juan Islands American Composers Forum Libby Larsen Mary Ellen Childs Alex’s Photography and Her Studio Ursula Mamlok Arnold Schoenberg Anton Webern Serialism, Twelve-Tone Columbia College Chicago Music Department Cocktails With Creatives: Episode 1 Cocktails With Creatives: Episode 2

In this episode, Jocelyn talks with Gabriela Lena Frank about the multitudes of her music, which spans intimate explorations of love and loss to the multi-generational effects of colonialism. They also discuss responsibly engaging with trauma, mentoring the next generation of composers, and writing music for a universe where there’s no oppression. Companion playlists: Youtube , Spotify Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl Transcript Relevant Links: Gabriela Lena Frank’s website Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music and their Eco-Citizenship program A Psalm of Disquiet , written for the Fry Street Quartet Conquest Requiem , premiered by The Houston Symphony El último sueño de Frida y Diego (The Last Dream of Frida and Diego), libretto by Nilo Cruz, premiered by the San Diego Opera LA Opera Digital Shorts: The Five Moons of Lorca by Gabriela Lena Frank and Nilo Cruz La Llorona: Tone Poem for Viola and Orchestra Meyer Sound Anna and the Tropics by Nilo Cruz Frida by Robert Rodriguez Dead Man Walking by Jake Hegge

Shara Nova joins Jocelyn to talk about her many and multi-faceted musical endeavors. They discuss music's role in love, loss, family, and why everyone should try to make a joyful musical noise together. Episode transcript Companion playlists: Youtube , Spotify Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl Relevant Links: AwRY My Brightest Diamond Bring Me the Workhorse - Golden Star This is My Hand All Things Will Unwind Titration “III. Resolve” from Carols After a Plague - The Crossing Death Speaks by David Lang Earl Harvin - drummer Chris Bruce - bass Eighth Blackbird Philip Glass Nina Simone Nico Muhly Owen Palette Brooklyn Youth Chorus yMusic Zac Rae Bryce Dessner Aaron Dessner Laurie Anderson Homeland , Joe's Pub Vanguard Artist & Residency Crossing Brooklyn Ferry at BAM Texas Conspirare 2022-2023 Hear Me Out Program MusiCares Article: Client Spotlight: How Shara Nova Amplified Her Career By Keeping A "Wild Belief" In Herself & Other Women ProTools Sibelius

Mari Esabel Valverde joins Jocelyn to talk language, unlearning shame, gender, and pathways to excellence for the under-resourced. Companion playlists: YouTube , Spotify Episode Transcript Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl Relevant Links: Before Spring To digte af Tove Ditlevsen | Performed by Matthew Valverde, tenor Darest, O Soul | Performed by Cantus Earth, Mother | Performed by the University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club Moonlight Quartet | Performed by Her Ensemble Border Lines | Text by Yesenia Montilla | Composed for and Performed by Adams State University Chamber Choir St. Olaf College European American Music Alliance Amir Rabiyah , poet International Orange Chorale of San Francisco Influences and inspiration: Claude Debussy King David, Part III: “The Death of David” by Arthur Honegger Les Six Wilhelm Stenhammar Jean Sibelius Wilhelm Peterson-Berger Edvard Grieg Siete Canciones Populares Españolas, V. Nana by Manuel de Falla Resources on Gender Identity: Video by Chase Ross: “Trans 101: Ep 1 - What is Transgender?” Graphic by the Trans Student Education Resource: The Gender Unicorn Graphic by Sam Killerman: The Genderbread Person

Season 2 of Compose Like a Girl will launch later this week! Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl

Emily Drum joins Jocelyn for a conversation on today’s bonus episode! Emily (she/her) is a singer, arranger, composer, vocal producer, songwriter, and educator living in Phoenix, AZ. During her time at the University of Arizona, she became the driving force behind the award-winning a cappella group Amplified, serving as director, arranger, and producer. In addition to leading the group to historic success in the Varsity Vocals ICCA competition, she received four ‘Outstanding Arrangement’ awards for her work. Today, Emily is in high demand as a professional vocal arranger and composer. She is commissioned by high school groups, top-ranked collegiate a cappella groups, and semi-professional choirs all over the country, and her self-published arrangements have been sung all over the world, in over 15 countries spread across 5 continents. In addition to arranging and composing, Emily is also a vocal coach, producer, and member of the award-winning treble vocal quartet, Red Letter Daze. Over time, her contributions to countless vocal projects have landed her 27 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARA) nominations and awards. She is excited to continue making strides in the world of vocal music and is grateful to be featured in Graphite Publishing. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl Transcript PDF Relevant Links: Emily Drum Womankind, available through Graphite Publishing Star Light, Star Bright , available through Graphite Publishing GALA Choruses Phoenix Women’s Chorus International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Red Letter Daze Boston A Cappella Festival DAW

Sherry Blevins joins Jocelyn for a conversation on today’s bonus episode! Sherry is an award-winning composer/lyricist, conductor/clinician, and an award-winning music educator. Her first piece was published in 2018. Since then, more than 17 of her pieces have been published, and she is now with four publishing houses including Hinshaw, Fred Bock, BriLee, and JH Music. Since then, she has enjoyed composing for and with a variety of singers and ensembles across North America. Sherry has a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a master’s degree in music education from Appalachian State University. Her hope is that whether through composing or teaching, that the music she shares will bring hope, life, and light to others. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl Transcript PDF Relevant Links: Sherry Blevins When I Become An Old Woman , available through Graphite Publishing Looking for Light , available through Graphite Publishing If I Call To You, My Love , available through Graphite Publishing Jenny Joseph’s poem “When I Become an Old Woman” Dr. Iris S. Levine, Vox Femina

Ritika Bhattacharjee joins Jocelyn for a conversation on today’s bonus episode! Ritika is a composer, pianist, and vocalist who performs in jazz combos and big bands, plays for contemporary dance productions with Ventana Ballet, and underscores fully improvised musicals at Merlin Works, The Hideout, The Fallout, and ColdTowne Theatre. Her multi-media composition portfolio includes the scores for three short films, a video game, an iOS app, a string quartet, a musical, and a symphony commission from Austin Balcones Orchestra. She received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 2022, where she founded and served as the president and conductor of Ingeniare, the A&M Student Engineering Chorus, and served as the band leader and pianist for Binomial Rhapsody, an engineering instrumental ensemble that composed music from math equations. During her undergraduate study, she was the lead jazz vocalist for the Corps of Cadets Aggieland Orchestra, performing scores from the big-band era on tour. She currently works as a business consultant in Austin, TX, and will receive her graduate diploma in composition from the European Academy of Film Scoring in 2024. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl Transcript PDF Relevant Links: Ritika Bhattacharjee The Infinity of Space available through Graphite Publishing Texas A&M University Shayla Rivera (Ritika’s Professor at Texas A&M University) Binomial Rhapsody Python Pivot Gutenberg! The musical! Film Scoring Academy of Europe Conspirare Morten Lauridsen - Lux Aeterna Orange County Philharmonic Pepsi R&D Lewis Carroll’s, “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland” SOUNDDRAW String Theory Wormhole Paradoxes Dr. Michio Kaku

Patti Arntz joins Jocelyn for a conversation on today’s bonus episode! Patti has been a music educator and church musician in the Twin Cities area for over 40 years. She has degrees in music from Hamline University, St. Paul, MN and Drake University, Des Moines, IA and a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN. She recently retired from teaching elementary music with the Robbinsdale Area Schools in the Twin Cities area. During her 30 years of instructing young children to sing and make music, she also directed the Robbinsdale All-District Elementary Honors Choir for 15 years. Throughout her teaching career, she served as an organist and director of youth/adult choirs in local churches. In 2003, Patti was contacted by St. Olaf College to see if she would take a student teacher. The answer was yes, of course. That student teacher was Jocelyn Hagen. The favor was returned when Jocelyn served as a mentor for Patti’s compositions and arrangements. In 2010, Patti commissioned Jocelyn to compose a children’s choir piece in memory of Teresa Benjamin, Assistant Director of the Robbinsdale Elementary Honor Choir. Teresa passed away in the spring of 2003. This composition, “I Started Out Singing,” has become very popular in recent years. Keeping in touch with her elementary music roots, she serves as an adjunct professor at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minnesota, instructing elementary education majors on teaching and integrating music into their future classrooms. Patti lives in the Twin Cities area with her husband, Rolland, where she enjoys outdoor activities, traveling and cooking. She sings with Singers in Accord and is a charter member of the choir. Her adult children, Kyle and Melani are both very involved in music in the Twin Cities area. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl Transcript PDF Relevant Links: Patti Arntz on social media: Instagram @pmarntz , Facebook @Patti Arntz . A Quilt of Snow (available through Graphite Publishing for 2-part treble , SATB , or SSA choir and C instrument ) A Quilt of Snow Introduction Performance of A Quilt of Snow by Vox Nova Chorale, Vicki Peters, Artistic Director Robbinsdale All District Choir, MN Odd Nordstoga

Grace Becker joins Jocelyn for a conversation on today’s bonus episode! Grace is an amateur composer who is excited to share her passion for spreading joy and writing music with the world. Grace grew up singing in choirs in her hometown Bloomington, MN and began composing in her second year of college. She quickly found purpose in the vulnerable, honest nature of this process. She has since composed a handful of songs, with her debut appearing in the Compose Like A Girl series. She has always had a love for poetry and storytelling, often choosing to make settings of her own poems. Choral music has left a profound mark on her life, and she is honored to be able to share her words with the public, hoping they will find those who need to hear them the most. Grace graduated with a bachelor’s in music education from Wartburg College and is currently teaching K-4th general music in Iowa. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl Transcript PDF Relevant Links: Grace Becker: Instagram - @grace.becker73 Facebook - @GraceBecker Known, available through Graphite Publishing Performance of Known by Voces Solis, conducted by Ryan Keeling Wartburg College, Dr. Lee Nelson

Rosephanye Powell joins Jocelyn to talk about Black music, storytelling, music-making as service, and much more. Hear the full conversation by becoming a Patreon subscriber. Companion playlists: Youtube , Spotify Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl Music by Cicely Parnas. Additional Music by Blue Dot Sessions. Transcript PDF Relevant Links: Rosephanye Powell Living Legend Award African Diaspora Sacred Music Festival HBCUs Alabama State University Florida State University - Choirs North Dakota State University - Choral Symposium Fred Boch Music Gentry Publications Undine Smith Moore Dr. Lena McLin Dr. André J. Thomas Rodney Eichenberger Hall Johnson William L. Dawson Harry Thacker Burleigh John Wesley Work III Martin Luther King Jr. Harriet Tubman I Wanna Be Ready The Word Was God Still I Rise The Cry of Jeremiah Quiet Revolutionary He Is Marvelous - ACDA Western Conference 2022 Gospel Honor Choir My Voice Soars - a Compose Like a Girl partnership with Tucson Girls Chorus

B.E. Boykin joins Jocelyn to talk about curriculum, the collaborative energy between singers and pianists, and finding mentorship among friends. Hear the full conversation by becoming a Patreon subscriber. Companion playlists: Youtube , Spotify Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl Transcript PDF Relevant Links: B.E. Boykin Spelman College Georgia Tech Minnesota Opera New Works Initiative Song Poet John 3:16 We Wear the Mask commissioned by the Mirror Visions Ensemble featuring Abi Levis and Grant Wenaus Holding the Light commissioned by Jordan Shomper Stuart Kestenbaum , poet William Menefield , Fierce with the Cincinnati Opera Darin Atwater, Soulful Symphony Richard Smallwood Brandon Waddles Marques L.A. Garrett Rosephanye Powell (featured in our upcoming episode!) Compose Like a Girl theme composed by Cicely Parnas . Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions .

Cecilia McDowall joins Jocelyn to talk about drawing inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci, leading with curiosity, and the truth that it’s never too late to find your compositional path. Hear the full conversation by becoming a Patreon subscriber. Companion playlists: Youtube , Spotify Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions. Transcript PDF Relevant Links: Cecilia McDowall Leonardo Da Vinci Da Vinci Requiem (McDowall) The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci (Hagen) Wimbledon Choral Society Harriet Quimby Night Flight The Ivors Classical Awards 2014 Kantorei , Joel Rinsema director BBC Singers Rosalind Franklin Photo 51 Seven Ages of Women Yehudi Menuhin School Trinity Laban Conservatoire Of Music and Dance London Concordia Foundation Fibonacci Sequence chamber ensemble

Reena Esmail joins Jocelyn to talk about finding our truth. Hear the full conversation by becoming a Patreon subscriber. Companion playlists: Youtube , Spotify Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl Transcript PDF Relevant Links: Reena Esmail Black Iris (formerly #metoo) performed by Chicago Sinfonietta Tuttarrana (SATB) Tuttarrana (Brass Quintet) - Serif Brass This Love Between Us The Juilliard School Yale School of Music Aaron Kernis, composer Susan Botti, composer Sam Adler, composer Debt: The First 5000 Years Georgia O’Keefe, painter Bartók Concerto for Orchestra

Angélica Negrón joins Jocelyn to talk about the value of play, collaboration, and how classicism shows up in education. Hear the full conversation by becoming a Patreon subscriber. Companion playlists: Youtube , Spotify Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl Transcript PDF Relevant Links: Angélica Negrón 2022 Hermitage Greenfield Prize New York Philharmonic Education Chorus of the Forest Performance The Blue Hour - ( Rachel Grimes , Angélica Negrón , Caroline Shaw , Sarah Kirkland Snider , Shara Nova ) The Blue Hour: No. 3, A Black Map A Far Cry Carolyn Forché ( Blue Hour ) The Blue Hour is available for hire at WiseMusicClassical.com. Balún - Angélica Negrón, José A. Olivares, Raúl Reymundi, Noraliz Ruiz, with guest performers Prisma Tropical - La Nueva Ciudad Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Penelope (shared as an anecdote) Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

Chen Yi joins Jocelyn to share her approaches to blending classical compositional styles and teaching. Hear the full conversation by becoming a Patreon subscriber. Companion playlists: Youtube , Spotify Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Follow us: @composelikeagirl on Instagram and Facebook Learn more: Compose Like a Girl Transcript PDF Relevant Links: Chen Yi https://www.presser.com/chen-yi-at-70 https://conservatory.umkc.edu/profiles/faculty-directory/chen-yi.html To learn more about Chinese Cultural Revolution and Chinese Traditional Music, visit: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/15/world/asia/china-cultural-revolution-explainer.html https://spice.fsi.stanford.edu/docs/introduction_to_the_cultural_revolution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_China https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/media/international/music-of-china/ Tang Dynasty Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing Tianjin Conservatory National Symphony Orchestra, Taiwan University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory Peabody Institute UMKC Composition Competition Opportunities Beijing International Composition Workshop Chanticleer Albums: Colors of Love and The Siren’s Call: Live Concert Highlights Album: Digital Mist - Works For Violin and Piano; Patrick Yim (violin), Kiu Tung Poon (piano), Sebastian Currier Albany Records Jennifer Higdon Niccolò Paganini