Studying Composition at University
In this week’s blog post, I thought I would share some my experiences of studying Composition at University. I study Music at Durham University, and so even though I have chosen this year to study my double module in Composition, it still forms just a part of my degree, which covers many different aspects of music more generally. When I was looking at what degree course I should study, I wasn’t sure what aspect of music I would most like to specialise in, and so I picked a course that would enable me to explore various pathways and hopefully guide my thinking during my time studying it.
Studying Composition for the first time at University was a very new experience. At school, I did receive some training and guidance from my music teachers in composing, but the nature of the exam structures of GCSE and A Level that we were preparing for meant that we had to work hard to compose in line with the mark scheme, and so I found this quite restrictive. In my first year of my degree we were encouraged to explore in our own writing the techniques of 20th and 21st century Western art music composers, such as minimalism, twelve-tone serialism and indeterminacy. I was pushed out of my comfort zone in a good way by being encouraged and challenged to try out these new and unfamiliar techniques.
Studying composition at university has opened my eyes to a far greater repertory of music, and to new techniques and concepts that have really shaped the way I think about music. I’ve been pushed out of comfort zone in many ways, to explore new instruments, tonalities, structures and textures, and this has made me a more innovative and creative composer.
As well as not being afraid to try new ideas, I think it’s also crucially important as a composer to be constantly getting feedback and constructive criticism on your work from other people. Taking criticism can be a hard thing at first, but once you are able to you’ll learn to channel the criticism in a positive way to improve your writing. University is a time when you can afford to get things wrong in a safe, non-judgemental environment, where you know there will always be people to support and help you if you are struggling. As a composer, it’s a great opportunity to learn (often by trial and error) the sort of music you like to compose, and to therefore naturally develop your compositional voice. Throughout my time at university, we have been encouraged to work closely alongside the other students in our class, and we are often writing for each other’s instruments and performing each other’s pieces. It’s been great to learn by listening to other people’s ideas, and to be a part of bringing the vision they have in their head from the score to performance. We can be a great support network to each other, especially in being an encouragement to one another!
Whether you decide to study composition in any form at university or not, I have ultimately found that the best way to learn and grow as a composer is to have your work performed regularly, and to get honest and constructive feedback from a variety of people, whether it be performers, other composers, friends or teachers! Learning to be able to take and deal with criticism in the right way can be hard, but it’s a crucial part of the daily life of a composer!
Written by Stephanie Devlin