Composition Lessons
I offer individual lessons in composition remotely via Zoom for musicians of any age or experience level.
Schedule your FREE trial lesson today where I’ll share my 10 Tips for Composing Better Music which will help you understand music and composition on a deeper level.
“Keane was a phenomenal teacher. I feel lucky to have studied composition with him. He opened me up to a whole new world of artistry that I’ll continue to develop.”
“Have had more than a handful of private lessons, workshops, and classes, but I must say Keane’s insights are top notch. And his attention to detail, along with his ear, is remarkable. I was mostly impressed with his holistic view towards composition/music, which encompasses so many different aspects— text, sound, narrative, etc. A lesson with him is incredibly worth it if you’re serious about understanding and/or composing music.”
My Teaching Philosophy
My goal is to help you write YOUR music, no matter what style or genre it may fall into, and make it the best it can be. I refrain from saying whether I like or dislike your music because if you start trying to write music that pleases my tastes, then you aren’t creating your own music anymore!
All of my thoughts, ideas, and suggestions are given with goal of helping you more effectively express and shape your musical ideas so you can best communicate what you are trying to say, but you should never feel that you have to do what I suggest! It is up to you whether you accept or reject them (and I won’t be offended if you don’t!)
I can offer different ways of using and developing your musical materials, exercises to develop certain compositional skills (including how to develop a motive, how to harmonize a melody, how to orchestrate, etc.), and advice on navigating the creative process and on how to develop a career as a professional composer (if the student is interested in this).
I will help you understand music on a deeper level, exploring the larger questions related to composing, such as: How do you create meaning out of abstract sounds? How can words and music be combined in a way that enhances both? What makes the music you like so fulfilling to listen to?
See the video below for more on my teaching philosophy!
“Over the past few months I have begun taking composition lessons with Keane. He might as well be an encyclopedia of musical references and knowledge. I thought I knew a solid amount of composers and film scorers, but in lessons with Keane I have yet to hear more than a handful of names that I recognized. This has resulted in my world of music rapidly expanding to many new names, pieces, influence, and wonders. The perfect thing to get out of a lesson! I can easily say I would highly recommend taking lessons with Keane Southard!”
“Keane is wonderful at helping guide the development of our own compositional voices rather than impose styles upon us. He offers options and tools for our choosing and is extremely knowledgeable about repertoire for us as students to explore as we write our own music. Whenever I have had a compositional problem to solve, he has been able to help me find a solution.”
My Experience
8 years of collegiate teaching experience, including individual composition lessons, orchestration, and theory courses at the Eastman School of Music, Nazareth College, the University of Colorado-Boulder, and Bennington College
Teaching Assistant Prize for Excellence in Teaching from the Eastman School of Music
PhD in composition from the Eastman School of Music
MM in composition and Certificate in College Teaching from the University of Colorado-Boulder
Winner of over 20 international and national composition awards
“Keane is very open to exploring all aspects of composition with his students. If there is something a student is interested in, he will do what he can to assist them in their compositional endeavor. He also have a well-rounded knowledge of many facets of composition, orchestration, repertoire, etc. that enables him to supplement his teaching.”
Frequently Asked Questions
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I firmly believe that there is no right or wrong way to compose, nor right or wrong music to compose. Consequently, I strive to help students create their own unique musical expressions no matter what style or genre these may fall into. My training is based in the western classical tradition, but I have experience as a performer and composer in several other genres, such as jazz, rock, and musical theatre. In addition to western classical music, my students have written film and video game music, pop-influenced electronic music using digital audio workstations, and musical theatre songs. I often encourage my students to explore styles and composers they aren’t familiar with because there is so much to learn from them (even from music they don’t like!), but ultimately the choice of what to compose is always up to the student.
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They can, although it depends on the goals and needs of each student. The art of composing music intersects with many other related disciplines and topics such as orchestration, arranging, how to build a career in music, how to interact with performers, how find/make opportunities for performances/recordings/commissions, etc. I have extensive experience with all of these (I completed a Certificate in Arts Leadership from the Eastman Institute for Music Leadership as well) and can include instruction and advice on them as desired.
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That’s totally fine! Tastes in music are subjective, and while I hope you would find my music meaningful and impactful, we all have different likes and dislikes. My goal is to help you write the music YOU love and want to hear and to do so in the most effective way possible. You will never hear me talk in lessons about whether I like your compositions or not—I don’t want you to feel you have to please me with your music because then you aren’t writing YOUR music any more. My job is to help you think about new possibilities, develop your skills, and learn about universal principles of composing that make your music sound and work better no matter what kind of music you are writing.
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Of course! You can sign up for a free, no obligation 1-hour trial lesson before deciding to sign up for paid lessons. I fully understand that it is important to find the right fit with a teacher and I hope my approach will be beneficial to you.
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At the end of your free 1-hour trial lesson, I can share with you the different instruction packages at different price levels that I offer which vary depending on whether you are interested in biweekly or monthly lessons. All lessons are held online via Zoom.
“Keane's creativity is endless: one minute he's arranging a John Foulds work, and the next, he's writing a piece made up entirely of glissandi. But I appreciate his guidance as a composition teacher as much as I admire his creative genius. He helps us students problem-solve our musical dilemmas by offering an array of tools so we can pick and choose what works with each of our own compositional voices.”
-Lindsay Bronnenkant, Conductor, Composer, and Lecturer at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Sign up now
Schedule your FREE trial lesson today where I’ll share my 10 Tips for Composing Better Music which will help you understand music and composition on a deeper level.