BM Composition

The Bachelor of Music in Composition is a four-year program which introduces you to the discipline of composition and prepares you either for a professional career involving composition, or for continued graduate study in the field. Because the BM program is often the first step beyond secondary school study, it is an important time of growth and transition, and our curriculum is designed to prepare you for the transition from relative novice to accomplished composer.Our BM program features an extraordinarily strong curriculum designed to develop your compositional technique and academic skills. Featuring two semesters of counterpoint, orchestration, form and analysis, and conducting, as well as two semesters of private study on a principal instrument or voice and eight semesters of private composition lessons, composition students are provided with a rigorous and thorough grounding in the compositional craft and in performance, both of which are typically integral parts of a compositional career.In addition to technical training, we also emphasize practical professional development skills, helping you to define and develop your place in the large, dynamic world of composition. Our weekly Composition Seminar devotes at least one session each semester to such topics as the preparation of strong competition entries, creation of legible scores and parts, and rehearsal etiquette. Other sessions provide introductory information about performance rights, copyright, royalties, negotiation commissions, and other aspects of the business of composition.