Norfolk Music School
Music Theory and Composition
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.
I teach children theory by making it fun.
Here's the fun:
Here's the fun:
Here's the learning:
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!)