Composition & Songwriting
Learn About Composition & Songwriting at MacPhail
Interested in beginning, developing, or mastering your songwriting skills or compositional techniques?
Instruction specifically designed for acoustic instruments or electronic platforms.
Whether you have written many songs and have professional aspirations or have no idea where to begin, MacPhail has a teaching artist or class that gives you the instruction, feedback, tools, and opportunities you need to realize your potential.
Ready to start learning? Find the option that’s right for you.
Opportunities to enhance your experience at MacPhail:
“Composing and songwriting are powerful storytelling tools, that go deep into our subconscious. These musical stories shine a light on things we didn’t realize we felt or knew about ourselves and the world around us. As a teacher, it’s a real joy and privilege to support student writers as they develop their composition skills and create their musical worlds.”
Barbara Cohen, Composition for Film Score & Visual Media, Songwriting Teaching Artist
Meet Our Songwriting & Composition Faculty
“Composers are the musical architects of time. We invite our listeners to take a tour, one “room” at a time. All music students can benefit from studying composition. Students are encouraged to think about structures in new ways. Together, we explore timbre to we can fill each “room” with tapestries of sound that weave together thematic materials in creative ways. We study what other composers do to spur ourselves on. We follow our “crazy ideas” and see where they lead us.”
Sarah Miller, MacPhail Composition Teaching Artist