Music Theory and Composition

Whatever you play, from trumpet to tuba, you'll do it best if you get to know your crotchets and quavers! And once you know your Cs and Qs (and some of the secrets of harmony) you can start composing your own songs and symphonies!

Inspiration can strike at any age! Some of my younger composers contribute to the Worldwide Song Project. At the other extreme, Jim, in his 80s, has recently gained a pass with Distinction at the London College of Music's highest grade for composers.

I teach children theory by making it fun.

Here's the fun:

Here's the learning:

Geronimo computer game

Weird snakes and ladders

Card matching games

Tub games

Bilingual stories

Tile laying games

Cut-up songs

The notes on the stave

Musical terms

Key signatures

Just about everything!

Musical terms

Note values

Aural skill and notation

Knowing music theory helps these performers to get the best from their instruments. They make musical sense of every blob and squiggle on the printed page!

Whatever age or stage they're at, composers know the importance of theory, and teenage learners often pursue it for practical reasons:

to qualify them for higher-grade practical exams
to boost their success with GCSE and A level music or
as a direct route to university, since higher grade theory and practical passes count as A levels.

Please click on video to hear one of my young pupils playing my own 'Aquarelle.' (I do try to set a good example!)

Norfolk Music School

Music Theory and Composition

I teach children theory by making it fun.

Here's the fun:

Here's the learning:

Please feel free to get in touch

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