Composition

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The Eastman Composition Department is devoted to teaching students who wish to pursue a professional and/or academic career in concert and computer music composition. We have no stylistic or sectarian agendas; our goal is to help students learn to write the music that inspires and interests them. In order to enable the student to explore the wide range of today's diverse compositional styles and media, it is the policy of the Department to rotate the faculty and students so that no student ordinarily studies with the same teacher for more than one year during a period of three years. Accordingly, each member of the faculty teaches students at all levels of experience, from freshmen to doctoral students.

Individual composition tutorials (one hour per week) and participation in the master classes and other events in the Composition Symposium, provide the core of the program. In addition, the faculty continually analyzes and evaluates each student's creative development as she or he negotiates the program. Students have many opportunities to hear their works played in a variety of performance settings. The final result is a thorough knowledge of all contemporary forms of musical expression and the ability to present one's personal style in each of them.

Ancillary to writing music and arranging for the performance of composition, the program places emphasis on the ability of a composer to communicate effectively in speech and writing to his or her audience on both professional and academic occasions. Students are therefore encouraged to take a variety of courses in music theory, history and criticism.

The Department is also dedicated to teaching non-majors to compose contemporary concert music. Eastman and University of Rochester students who take the course Composition for Non-Majors are assigned to a private teacher for a half-hour tutorial every week.