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.
Individual Lessons
MacPhail provides music lessons and classes for 30+ instruments and voice. Offering piano, guitar, percussion, strings, and brass lessons in Minnesota or online.
Group Classes
Your musical journey doesn’t have to be a solo act. Learn, play, and grow – together. There’s power in making music as a group.
Opportunities to enhance your experience at MacPhail:
Summer Camps
Your soundtrack to summer starts here! From first notes to bold new musical goals, MacPhail Camps offer something for every young musician.
Music Production & Technology
Discover your unique sound. Explore the art and craft of music production in MacPHail’s professional studios.
Jazz
MacPhail Center for Music is proud to offer students exploration of the great Black American art-form, jazz.
“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
Jeremy Hanson
David Kassler
William Brueggemann
“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
Lesson & Class Offerings
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Songwriting Workshop for Adults
Tap into your creativity and spend eight weeks this fall writing songs alongside a community of fellow musicians. The Songwriting Workshop is designed for adult participants who want to explore...
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Songwriting Lessons – Minneapolis
About Individual Lessons at MacPhail Our outstanding faculty is equipped to teach beginning through advanced music lessons. At all levels, the music lessons are student-centered to develop personalized musical and...
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Songwriting Lessons – ONLINE
About Individual Lessons at MacPhail Our outstanding faculty is equipped to teach beginning through advanced music lessons. At all levels, the music lessons are student-centered to develop personalized musical and...
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Film & Video Game Scoring Lessons – Minneapolis
About Individual Lessons at MacPhail Our outstanding faculty is equipped to teach beginning through advanced music lessons. At all levels, the music lessons are student-centered to develop personalized musical and...
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Electronic Music / Recording Arts (EMRA) Lessons – MPLS
About Individual Lessons at MacPhail Our outstanding faculty is equipped to teach beginning through advanced music lessons. At all levels, the music lessons are student-centered to develop personalized musical and...
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Electronic Music / Recording Arts (EMRA) Lessons – ONLINE
About Individual Lessons at MacPhail Our outstanding faculty is equipped to teach beginning through advanced music lessons. At all levels, the music lessons are student-centered to develop personalized musical and...
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DJing Lessons – Minneapolis
About Individual Lessons at MacPhail Our outstanding faculty is equipped to teach beginning through advanced music lessons. At all levels, the music lessons are student-centered to develop personalized musical and...
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Composition Lessons – Apple Valley
About Individual Lessons at MacPhail Our outstanding faculty is equipped to teach beginning through advanced music lessons. At all levels, the music lessons are student-centered to develop personalized musical and...
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Composition / Music Theory Lessons – ONLINE
About Individual Lessons at MacPhail Our outstanding faculty is equipped to teach beginning through advanced music lessons. At all levels, the music lessons are student-centered to develop personalized musical and...
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Composition / Music Theory Lessons – Chanhassen
About Individual Lessons at MacPhail Our outstanding faculty is equipped to teach beginning through advanced music lessons. At all levels, the music lessons are student-centered to develop personalized musical and...
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Composition / Music Theory Lessons – Minneapolis
About Individual Lessons at MacPhail Our outstanding faculty is equipped to teach beginning through advanced music lessons. At all levels, the music lessons are student-centered to develop personalized musical and...