A Vision for Your Future...

Have you ever felt that composing music shouldn’t come with so many rules?

Do you feel like creating music should be a natural and fluid act that stems from a much more profound well of inspiration?

Have you studied with composers who insist on injecting their ideas into your composition? Or worse, composers who teach using a rules-based, overly theoretical approach that doesn’t apply to the music you want to create?

Instructors should serve as guides, but sometimes instruction only tears students down. This results in demotivation and composers second-guessing their abilities. As a professor at a university, I have taught students who have experienced this kind of instruction first-hand and seen how it creates crushing self-doubt.

I’ve been fortunate to connect with thoughtful mentors and colleagues who have helped me develop as a composer and instructor.

Unfortunately, I’ve also studied with instructors who lacked the insight to see the bigger picture.

With rare exceptions, your style of music has nothing to do with the approach you need. Composers often think they must study more theory, counterpoint, or ear training to reach the next level.

This simply isn’t the case.

It’s how you learn and apply the techniques that matter. You can be an expert theorist, possess a perfect ear, and master the art of counterpoint and still have no idea how to apply these concepts to your music.

I can show you how. I will pass on knowledge that is not commonly taught in any school.

Like most composers, I felt the pull to write music from an early age. As a child, I would stare longingly at our family piano, knowing a new world was within those keys.

I once asked my mother at a drive-thru bank teller why there was Christmas music yet no music for Halloween. Broad musical questions like these continued throughout my life but became more sophisticated as my abilities grew.

During college, I continued my quest to put those mysterious sounds and impressions of musical ideas onto paper while also developing my musicianship skills playing for ensembles, including the Las Vegas Brass Band. I devoured everything I could but failed to write the music I wanted to compose.

My college years playing with the Las Vegas Brass Band

I couldn’t find the answers I was looking for.

Completing a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in music composition helped me think differently about music, but I was still only learning the techniques of other composers.

As a graduate student, I started writing my first book, The Elements of Music Composition. The book introduced a flexible composition method that helped composers see greater connections in music.

While writing and conducting research for the book, I thought about my high school and undergraduate years. I remembered scouring through every text I could on musicianship and ear training. I worked through programs of study to train my ear, but none worked to train the faculties that a composer needs.

I started to create my own programs. While drinking coffee one day, a friend asked me why I created these programs. I told her it would save time and make it possible to compose more freely away from a piano or notation program. I also wanted to create a program that would benefit others — something that actually worked.

As I finished my master’s program, I was writing music fluidly. Unexpectedly, I suddenly lost all motivation. I fulfilled my lifelong desire to compose, and I lost the spark. The reason was simple. I learned how to create and hear music in my mind, but it lacked the perfection of greater composers. I realized technique was only half the battle, and I felt strongly that I had to reinvent myself before I could write again.

I went through a decade-long process of study and introspection. I felt I lacked music theory training. I reasoned my music would become deeper and more meaningful if I increased my knowledge.

Music theory wasn’t the answer.

I kept searching. I wrote my second book, Music Composition Technique Builder, which teaches composers to develop their inner ear using methods that worked. I never stopped teaching composers as I continued my quest for greater meaning and connection in my music.

My life changed in 2016. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, asked me to teach one course.

I created a new curriculum for this course while teaching based on the progress and needs of my students. I published the course, which was approved for use at the university. Other colleges adopted the course as well.

I was asked to teach a second course by the end of my first week of classes.

My lifelong search for better composing methods and my love of course creation finally served a purpose. I developed simple daily routines to help my students practice basic foundational skills in less than 10 minutes per day.

My university responsibilities continued to increase. I served on graduate committees and taught some of the department’s most advanced theory courses.

University teaching taught me something important: more knowledge of music theory does not substantially improve a composer’s ability. I should know, I’m a composer who taught all levels of theory from the undergraduate to doctoral levels.

While I learned that theory was not the panacea, I also discovered how to help composers write better music.

This is what I am now offering.

You don’t have to spend the decades I spent searching for techniques to help you develop as a composer.

I will help you create your own flexible and intuitive theory of composition that will change with each new piece you encounter, and you will never stop improving as a composer.

In short, you will start the process of becoming your own best instructor, and you will be able to train yourself and develop music that is authentically you.

Book a free call so that we can get the process started. At the very least, you will walk away with a better understanding of how to proceed and develop your musicianship skills. Let’s discuss your current process to see if my programs suit you.

Book A Free Call Today

*You're receiving this post because you completed an optional sign-up. If you did not sign up, someone signed up on your behalf, so please feel free to unsubscribe! I hate unwanted emails as much as you!

0 comments

The Hazards of Pedantic Teaching

Flawless Ear Training Level 1: Subscribe Today

🎼 Learn to play these beautiful songs on piano today!

Apply for Composition Lessons, Mahler Seminars, and New YouTube Videos

New Year, New Books, and New Music

See all posts from UreMusic Education