Composition

The basis of our Certificate in Composition is a series of intensive, weekly studio sessions designed to enhance technical skills and creativity by working systematically and critically on students’ own compositional materials.

The programme is delivered in a series of six-month Certificate Levels. The first three levels are taught in weekly, one-and-a-half hour group lessons, focused on strategies of improvisation as a tool for composing. The final three six-month Certificate Levels involve weekly hour-long private tutorials. The weekly sessions also cover subjects such as fugue, orchestration or advanced analysis, depending on the individual student’s needs and interests.

Throughout the course, students also attend two-hour workshops, twice a month, focusing on key elements of compositional practice, including instrumentation, notation and setting pictures to sound. These also provide a unique forum for students to hear their work-in-process performed by instrumentalists from the Conservatory.

To progress to Composition Level 4 on the course, a student must first have passed Theory Certificate Level 3. After each six-month block, students will be required to submit a satisfactory composition portfolio before progressing to the next Certificate Level. Portfolios will be reviewed every six months.