The Greatest Composition Teacher

The Greatest Composition Teacher

from How to Find a Composition Teacher

February 1st, 2024

Dear Composers,

Are you currently looking for or have you ever been looking for ‘the right’ composition teacher?  If so, then the first thing that you’ll want to remember is the following: the greatest teacher is when you learn by yourself, through the following three methods: 1) hearing your works performed, 2) rehearsing or watching rehearsals of your works, and 3) getting recordings of your works.

Performances

At Walnut Hill School, a premiere high school conservatory near Boston, Massachusetts, I started off as tuba performance major, and quickly added composition, studying with Michael Weinstein. The sheer value of a dedicated composition teacher will be discussed in future articles, so for now, let’s focus on the trainer that is there when your teacher is no longer around: the performance.  

At Walnut Hill School, there were 3 yearly composition concerts, which meant that composers were always in the grind of composing and rehearsing their works.  The performance is essential, because prior to it, everything is just theory, feels like theory—-the music has not been tested.  The performance is for you to hear how your piece plays out over time:  Is the pacing right? Are certain effects lost?  Are tempo changes too abrupt?  Do your musical ideas go all over the place? Is there enough contrast?  Ultimately, you want to hear this all in your head first, but the performance is where you can hear everything live, as the true value of the recording is not in its ability to reassure you of your own self-worth.  

A good live performance of your work is always desired.  And hearing a live performance will show to you what works and what doesn’t work.  And the results will make you a better composer, regardless if you like the first performance or not.  For us composers, the first performance is like the first dress rehearsal, until we hear the proper interpretation of our composition.  And this can take several tries:  It took me over a decade to learn how to really compose for my actual performers, so that I could enjoy what I was composing.  Composers’ early works are often written too hard for their assigned performers.  

Rehearsing

For example, in my first completed piece, Trio for oboe, clarinet, and bassoon, when rehearsing my work, I saw that the oboe part at times was way too high and way too fast, and most importantly: too difficult for my fellow conservatory student in high school.  So what happened because of this?  Well, I got better at composing for oboe, and composing in general: Remember, composers never compose in a vacuum, we must always take into account the circumstances:  The level of the performers, the amount of time for rehearsals will affect what piece you will compose, and the smart composer is always getting better at this.  

By the way, my first composition was premiered in 2004.  Flash ahead to 2023 (nearly 20 years later!) when I published my clarinet solo Pop! for Solo Clarinet, premiered by Jenny Maclay at the Foundation des Etats-Unis in Paris, France: I composed a short but fun work, which fit the occasion: a recital of commissioned works by Jenny Maclay. Keeping in mind the performance conditions I composed something that would make her look good, that would be challenging to play, but also reasonable to put together within a couple of weeks.  

Mature composers can attest to the following: the harder your piece, the more time it will take to learn, and that means less time you’ll have to shape the form and go over the proper playing style (which can take several weeks).  Remember: problems in rehearsal can be smoothed out for performances, meaning that it is still invaluable that you learn to hear your piece in its most naked state, aka during the rehearsal process. And because of these vital experiences, I became a better composer, and composed an excellent short work that fit the occasion, and both composer and performer (not to mention the audience) were happy, which is a win-win situation.  

Recordings

Finally, get a recording of your work.  This is essential in being able to advocate for yourself and your works.  A high quality or excellent recording is indispensable, though we often settle for what is available.  In the case of Pop! for Solo Clarinet, my clarinetist Jenny Maclay was able to get an excellent recording (Recording on Soundcloud) and thanks to her fantastic playing and interpretation, and the quality of the recording, I actually was able to produce a successful Youtube Shorts Series on my Official Channel (WATCH POP! for Solo Cl), which has garnered close to 15k views to date.  This has even led to my first sale of the New Year 2024!  

Not having a recording can really hinder your progress: My orchestral masterpiece, helpisontheway for orchestra, in five movements, was published this past December 2023 on my website: Check it out here,  but it is hard to sell a work when people have no idea what it will sound like.  So in order to actually sell the musical score, I will need to get a recording, which means finding an orchestra, either by winning a competition or creating my own orchestra.  Either way, I will need an excellent interpretation of the work, preserved in a good recording, so the public itself can hear the work and judge whether or not it is something that they will want to purchase.  

To conclude, make sure to perform, rehearse, and record your works. A good composition teacher (there are many!) can help with all of this, guide you, and steer you from danger. However, a future composition teacher will always be hindered in their teaching by the limits you impose on yourself, when you fail to hear your works performed, rehearsed, and recorded.  

We will discuss more about finding a composition teacher in the next article in this series.

Make sure to keep composing.

Have a good day,

Barney B. Johnson

p.s There is never a good time to compose, you must force it.