Advanced Workshop in Musical Composition

Description of Course Goals and Curriculum

A composition course for independent, self-directed composers working in any style. The primary requirement is to compose a substantial piece and present it at our class concert at the end of the semester. Each week students will present drafts of their works in progress in a workshop format. In addition, we will consider a range of music, which may be accompanied with small assignments to provoke the creative process. This class meets once a week for 3 hours.

Learning From Classroom Instruction

Most of the learning occurs in class, as there are no textbooks. You go into detail (about 30-40 minutes) on one person's composition, and you therefore learn a lot of compositional techniques through this analysis and critique.

Learning For and From Assignments

The course requires you to come up with weekly compositions, so my composing, you learn how to compose better.

External Resources

What Students Should Know About This Course For Purposes Of Course Selection

Make sure you have some compositional experience before taking this course! But you may never have an opportunity to perform your compositions again!!