Composition for school and college

Name: Composition for school and college
Rating: 4.5 (1 reviews)

Learn how to excel in your music composition assessments.

Created byTom Gwyther

Last updated 1/2025

English

What you'll learn

In this course, you will learn how to compose for school or college exams. This course coveres all the basics plus advanced composition techniques
You can learn to create outstanding compositions using a few simple tricks I've learned whilst studying Maths and neuropsychology
Take your compositions from low grade to high grade marks. I've listened to and marked many school/college compositions and can help you acheive a high grade.
You can use these techniques to improve your composing skills in other contexts

Course content

1 section • 9 lectures • 1h 50m total length

Introduction1:08
Here we'll look at and understand the basics of composing and how to compose for an exam.
The circle of fifths - Major and minor chords5:27
Looking at the Circle of fifths and how the mathematical relationships between frequencies, coupled with the way the human brain processes sound can be harnessed to created outstanding compositions
Writing simple four-chord songs15:27
How to write, score and input a simple four-chord song
Inputing chords into a D.A.W17:09
How to create basic major and minor chords and input them into a Digital audio workstation.
We'll also look at different DAW resources, both free and paid
Writing a simple four-chord song with dissonance14:38
Using the same technique as before but adding more interesting harmonies
Writing eight chords songs with consonance and dissonace13:28
Building on the previous learning, here we'll learn how to use the consonant and dissonant relationships to create harmonically interesting pieces
Changing the root note9:02
In this lecture, we'll see how - by still using basic major and minor chords - we can further add complexity to a song just be changing the root note of the chord.
Adding extensions19:22
Now we've found ways of using just three-note chords; both major and minor. We can move on to adding extensions to chord triads, to create even more colour and depth in our harmonies
Putting it all together14:35
In this lecture we'll put all of our previous learning together and experiment with writing many short songs.
We can also start to explore the other elements of music: form, texture, rhythm etc

Requirements

You will need a musical instrument. Prefereably a keyboard and a Digital audio workstation
Musical knowledge is useful, but you can use this course to create great composuitions even if you don't yet play an instrument

Description

Suitable for all budding composers, but especially aimed at those composing in an academic setting for GCSE or iGCSE
This course will be especially useful if you've been asked to compose music but are not sure where to begin. Or you may have a few composition ideas but you want to achieve a high grade in your exam.
Whether your composing for GCSE iGCSE Btec UAL courses, or just composing for fun. this course give you all the tools you need to create outstanding compositions.
In this course we'll look at how - from a background of no musical knowledge - you can use sophisticated techniques of mathematics and neuropsychology to create outstanding compositions which can achieve high grades in your assessments.
We'll look at all the tricks of the trade, so that someone with little to no background in composition can create beautiful music.
We'll explore many simple but highly effective techniques anyone can use to make their music stand out.
We'll learn how to use a variety of tools to take your compositions to the next level.
We'll also examine how music assessments are examined and gain valuable insight into the process of creating a song which will impress the teachers and the examiners.
having spent many years as a teacher of composition, I can help you attain a better grade and help you achieve your goals sooner, with less effort and stress

Who this course is for:

School and college students studying GCSE or iGCSE