WATERLOO -- Students learn about meter, phrasing and musical forms during piano lessons with Sister Mary Hauber.

But teaching them how to play a piece of music isn't her only aim. Hauber's students also learn how to create their own compositions, a process that takes close to a year for some.

On Friday, the Roman Catholic Franciscan sister's 35 students will be performing and displaying their completed compositions along with accompanying artwork at the Hearst Center for the Arts in Cedar Falls. The event from 6:30 to 8 p.m. has no set schedule, and student performances will be informal. The public is invited to attend.

Learning how to write music may not be a given as a student takes piano lessons. But it has always been a component of Hauber's lessons during her 21 years of teaching in Waterloo.

"I like teaching creatively, so I consider this a creative way to teach," said Hauber. The composing is not the focus of her lessons, though. "We spend three to five minutes (per session)."

Her students range from 5-year-olds to adults, all of whom have created compositions. As a result, she deals with many beginning students who don't know how to compose a song.

"A sure way to compose is to put their fingers on the black keys," said Hauber. The keys form a pentatonic, or five-note, scale which follows a pattern that is pleasing to the ear.

Shane McFadden, a 14-year-old Don Bosco High School freshman, is far from a beginner when it comes to playing piano or composing music. He is in his second year of lessons with Hauber and ninth year as a piano student. He has composed five or six songs as Hauber's student.

"Sometimes I'm just playing around on the piano and it just comes to me," said McFadden. "Other times I just think of a certain mood and try to depict that."

Composing has made McFadden a stronger performer. "I think it's helped me understand the music I'm playing a lot more," he said.

As Hauber introduces students to the idea of composing, she asks them to search for a poem or picture to inspire them. Some students write poetry or draw a picture on their own.

"The next process would be after they study piano for a while to understand meter," she said. "From there, they learn how to make a beautiful melody." She teaches students how to create an accompanying part and use the chords in a scale, among other things.

"As they grow musically, they also grow as they write," said Hauber. Students hand-write their composition and then transfer them to a computer program that gives their music a professional look and feel. The final step is pasting the completed work into sheet music form.

The experience of Hauber's students varies when it comes to composing. "Some fall in love with it, and some have to work at it," she said.

Hauber composed her first piece of music at age 8. She writes children's music for California publisher Alfred. In addition, she is working on her third compact disc of original compositions.

Contact Andrew Wind at (319) 291-1507 or andrew.wind@wcfcourier.com.