I would describe myself as being an intermediate level composer. I sometimes find it difficult to come up with the initial spark for a new composition. ThinkSpace have a sale on at the moment and I have just purchased how to write music for £24! In my opinion, Guy Michelmore is the best online tutor out there. He is talented and presents very well and also includes a dose of humour. This is a great offer and I am really enjoying the course so far.
ThinkSpace Education
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The Duke Creates
So am I.
Among the on-line courses I've taken Thinkspace is one of the best! The others in that narrow category would be Scoreclub and Art of the Score
Scoreclub - Alain is an outstanding teacher, not quite as fun as Guy, but that's ok. I am a little disappointed that he went with a subscription model, his courses take quite a bit of time and effort to get the most out of them, and I can't always dedicate that much time.
The Art of the Score - this is more of an analysis of "famous" scores. It's a fun listen, and I get something out of most of the podcasts.
Don't overlook Groove3 - there are lessons there on nearly every topic, and most any level.
Mike Verta Masterclasses - if you can dedicate 3 or 4 hours, and don't zone out when he wanders off topic then you can get something out of them. These were some of the first online classes I took, and I don't regret it, but I haven't been back there in years.
And there are others, Musicnotes Now has some gems, and there is someone that I can't think of now that uses a text to voice "thingy" named Nico as his assistant. If I can remember the name I will edit this post to add it.
Scoreclub - Alain is an outstanding teacher, not quite as fun as Guy, but that's ok. I am a little disappointed that he went with a subscription model, his courses take quite a bit of time and effort to get the most out of them, and I can't always dedicate that much time.
The Art of the Score - this is more of an analysis of "famous" scores. It's a fun listen, and I get something out of most of the podcasts.
Don't overlook Groove3 - there are lessons there on nearly every topic, and most any level.
Mike Verta Masterclasses - if you can dedicate 3 or 4 hours, and don't zone out when he wanders off topic then you can get something out of them. These were some of the first online classes I took, and I don't regret it, but I haven't been back there in years.
And there are others, Musicnotes Now has some gems, and there is someone that I can't think of now that uses a text to voice "thingy" named Nico as his assistant. If I can remember the name I will edit this post to add it.
Markrs
Complete Beginner
I think you might mean Nico's https://www.composingtips.com/ and his paid course https://digitalcomposing.teachable.com/ plus his youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/NicoSchuele/videos
RSK
Actual Member
Scoreclub is excellent and helped me tremendously. Guy Michelmore's courses are so informative and I learned so much from them that I signed up for the Masters degree from Thinkspace (done under the ausipces of the University of Chichester).
But honestly; I like Verta and would love to recommend his courses, but I just can't. You have to sit through so much extraneous blabbering to get to the meat of what he's saying that it just isn't worth it. If someone could edit those videos down to the essentials, it would be pure gold.
But honestly; I like Verta and would love to recommend his courses, but I just can't. You have to sit through so much extraneous blabbering to get to the meat of what he's saying that it just isn't worth it. If someone could edit those videos down to the essentials, it would be pure gold.
RSK
Actual Member
Nico had some kind of problem with his voice for a while, which necessitated him using a computer-generated "assistant." If I'm not mistaken this is not an issue anymore.
MusiquedeReve
Dreamer
Thanks for the head's up about the sale
I just ordered:
Learn Music Theory and
How to Write Music
I just ordered:
Learn Music Theory and
How to Write Music
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The Duke Creates
I can fully understand that. I built my house 10 years ago. If you have a family, too, time for such a big project will be even rarer. Mine is as rare as possible, as I have 2 jobs and my wife has to go to university to keep her job. So I have enough to do to keep the house running and look after our daughter. But I am a lucky father, she likes music as I do. So we often learn together.
Guy's courses are perfect for my situation. I can save time because there is not only dry learning, my need for additional entertainment stays extremely low as Guy fits that gap perfectly on top. Only my girl is out, it is too early for her to understand English. She first has to learn reading and writing her mother language properly enough.
Doing a master course at Thinkspace would be a dream fulfilled. Tell me, when you start!
PaulieDC
Too much gear, not enough composing. Oy vey.
No, he springs them on us intermittently. But it’s been a while, they are due. I’m eyeing Orchestral Mixing with Jake Jackson.
Delboy
Senior Member
I guess this Masters is 100% online taught using pre recorded vids like youtube. So you dont get the opportunity to actually sit with their expert teachers and see/feel what they do nor meet with other master students ... yet the price is as much as being at a University £9-11k (at least one can apply for student grant)
It also mentions having Pro Tools but support Cubase and Logic PX ... so does this mean it is still OK to only work with Logic or must one buy Pro Tools from AVID as well.
styledelk
Senior Member
There are several (3-8) live webinars weekly for students covering everything from harmony, spotting, sound design, music business, score analysis, finding work, peer review, masterclasses, etc. etc.
Most of the coursework does have pre-recorded videos, however all assignments are graded with detailed assessments and guidance, as well as regular 1:1 sessions with tutors.
It _is_ a university degree, and is fully accredited, along with everything that comes with that, including research requirements and essays.
You do get to meet regularly with other students, online, and it's one of the most lively Discords I'm on. There are also regular class-related and social events online, and, covid-willing, in person.
There is plenty of interaction in the degree programs, which generally makes up for some of the pre-recorded and (sometimes) older content. It's pretty dynamic, which I was surprised to find.
Most of the coursework does have pre-recorded videos, however all assignments are graded with detailed assessments and guidance, as well as regular 1:1 sessions with tutors.
It _is_ a university degree, and is fully accredited, along with everything that comes with that, including research requirements and essays.
You do get to meet regularly with other students, online, and it's one of the most lively Discords I'm on. There are also regular class-related and social events online, and, covid-willing, in person.
There is plenty of interaction in the degree programs, which generally makes up for some of the pre-recorded and (sometimes) older content. It's pretty dynamic, which I was surprised to find.
RSK
Actual Member
It is online, but you interact with teachers and other students via Zoom. We also have a Discord channel for students to discuss various subjects.
You can use whatever DAW you want for composition, but for creating session files for recording Pro Tools is required. There is an entire class that is nothing but Pro Tools, and the "Session Preparation" class requires scoring software (Dorico, Sibelius, etc) and Pro Tools.
Delboy
Senior Member
Really interesting thks Styledelk
May pass this on to my son who is doing a 1 year MMus Composition at the moment (just started)
If he does not get enough out of that then maybe this is worth adding to his student debt and get tutition in areas that were not covered that well at Uni assuming he would still get a postgrad loan.... it would all hinge on that if being honest. Ill mention it at the next visit - thks
I am hoping he will get tuition is branded vst products like Spitfire but fear he may not !
This Masters seems to cover that
May pass this on to my son who is doing a 1 year MMus Composition at the moment (just started)
If he does not get enough out of that then maybe this is worth adding to his student debt and get tutition in areas that were not covered that well at Uni assuming he would still get a postgrad loan.... it would all hinge on that if being honest. Ill mention it at the next visit - thks
I am hoping he will get tuition is branded vst products like Spitfire but fear he may not !
This Masters seems to cover that
Delboy
Senior Member
Thks RSK ... luckily he has Pro Tools but has never used it if being honest ..at Uni they use Logic both on his Undergrad and now Postgrad. He has Dorico and Sibelius.
Had he gone to Surrey Guildford then he would have used Pro Tools and why we bought it for him. in the end after being offered a place he decided to go elsewhere as the Bmus course had better content that interested him more. Really sounds good and may be a choice solution if he cannot get a graduate job after his MMus. Thks
Had he gone to Surrey Guildford then he would have used Pro Tools and why we bought it for him. in the end after being offered a place he decided to go elsewhere as the Bmus course had better content that interested him more. Really sounds good and may be a choice solution if he cannot get a graduate job after his MMus. Thks
RSK
Actual Member
I'm in the Orchestration degree program so I'll let someone else comment about the other programs, but in Orchestration it's VERY practical, hands on, and oriented to kind of work orchestrators do. Things like using scoring software to flesh out a piece the composer sent, arranging and creating PDF parts for individual musicians, preparing Pro Tools session files for the scoring stage engineers, and a little bit of composing. Grades are awarded based on the professionalism of the end product.
