Studio
Composition study for serious young composers
Private online instruction for high-school and college students who want to develop as composers.
Areas of Study
CompositionCounterpointOrchestrationHarmony & AnalysisEngraving & Score PreparationPortfolio & College Preparation: For students preparing composition portfolios or applications to college and conservatory programs, lessons can also include repertoire selection, portfolio development, and application preparation.
Who I teach
I work with high-school and college students who are serious about developing as composers.
The studio is focused on concert music, with an emphasis on classical and contemporary classical composition.Students do not need to be interested in writing music in one particular style. We will work with historical models, contemporary techniques, and whatever musical materials are most useful to the the development of your voice.Approach
The focus of our work is your music and your development as a composer. We will examine your choices through questions such as: What are you trying to express? Why have you made the choices you have made? How might those choices be strengthened, challenged, or reconsidered?
Craft is central to this process—not as a set of rules, but as a way of understanding what music can do. I don't believe in prescribing a single way of writing music. Historical and contemporary techniques, from Renaissance counterpoint to 21st-century approaches to harmony, rhythm, and texture, are tools for expanding your possibilities. Through composition, score study, analysis, and experimentation, we will develop your musical vocabulary, your sensitivity to resonance, and your ability to communicate your ideas clearly to performers and listeners.
My goal is to help you become a more curious, discerning, and perceptive musician—and, ultimately, more yourself: able to recognize what your music is trying to do and find increasingly effective ways to bring those ideas to life.Interested in Studying Together?
Tell me a little about yourself and what you'd like to work on. I'll follow up to discuss whether the studio is a good fit and find a time to meet.
Individual Lesson
$115.00
A private 60-minute Zoom lesson tailored to your work and goals. Depending on what you're working on, we might develop a composition, study a score, work through counterpoint or harmony, explore orchestration, or refine a score and parts.
4-Lesson Package
$400.00
Four private 60-minute Zoom lessons designed to give you time to develop ideas and make meaningful progress between sessions. We’ll establish goals for the four-lesson period and shape each session around your current work, questions, and development as a composer.