Composition

When I start composition with students, we begin by discovering the melodies that they have already inside them. We start out working note by note, and I teach them how to "listen" for the next note or notes in their head. Next we learn to find those notes on the piano.

As we progress, we learn to use the theory that we learn through the method books to create longer songs that have a melody and a harmonic accompaniment. We look at the structure of songs we've learned to play and music we hear on the radio or elsewhere and use that to help guide our compositions.