Music - Composition
No two music careers are exactly alike, and as a Composition student at UArts, you'll have the opportunity to create your own path toward becoming a professional music composer. You'll learn composition for every genre of music, but you'll also get the chance to specialize in the genre that most interests you—from big band, classical and jazz, to gospel, alternative rock, electronica and more. At UArts, you'll have lots of opportunities to mix your creative juices and collaborate with Film students, Animation students, Theater students, and Dance students, among others. If you're open to all genres of music and you've written your own compositions, it's time to consider applying to the University of the Arts' Composition program.
In 2020, the School of Music was ranked #2 in The 10 Best “Hidden Gem” Music Schools by Music School Central.
Our Composition majors have composed for live performances and studio recordings. They've re-scored films and recorded them using virtual instruments and samples. They've designed soundscapes for city-wide light shows. And they've collaborated with ProJazz in Santiago, Chile, and the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts in the U.K. Each semester, a professional chamber music ensemble visits UArts to perform and record students’ work, which is a great way to learn how professional musicians bring your creations to life.
Here at UArts, you'll be taught by faculty who are all in-demand, working professionals.
Spotlight: UArts' Matt Davis is a jazz guitarist based in Philadelphia. In addition to performing, Matt is an active composer, teacher and arranger. Hailed as "brilliant" by the Philadelphia Daily News, Matt’s original 12-piece "modern chamber jazz ensemble," called "Matt Davis’ Aerial Photograph" performs regularly in and around town.
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Sample Courses in the Composition Major
First Year
Applied Composition Instruction
Chorus
Music Theory
Musicianship
Creative Practices
Second Year
Applied Composition Instruction
Jazz Musicianship
Jazz Theory
Classical Jazz Piano
Music History
Third Year
Arranging
Applied Composition Instruction
Jazz Musicianship
Jazz Theory
MIDI Orchestration
Fourth Year
Analysis and Composition of Commercial Music
Applied Composition Instruction
Advanced Musicianship
Creative Composition
Senior Recital
About the Curriculum
The Composition Program is designed as a creative launching pad for students interested in writing and arranging for film, game music, animation, theater, dance and multimedia projects. The curriculum provides a foundation in jazz, popular, commercial, and contemporary classical genres with a focus on emerging technologies. Instrumental and vocal ensembles perform and record student compositions and arrangements. In addition to composing for the University’s ensembles, there is an emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration.
Students graduating from the Composition program will:
- Demonstrate outstanding aural musicianship;
- Demonstrate outstanding cognitive musicianship and theoretical knowledge;
- Understand music in its historical and sociological context;
- Express understanding of music in verbal and written form;
- Be musically literate and technically proficient performers and composers;
- Possess knowledge and experience in a diversity of musical styles and cultures;
- Acquire the skills to use and integrate current technology in support of their musicianship;
- Use all of the above as the basis for creative output.
To explore the full curriculum, click here.
Thanks to a curriculum that stresses emerging technologies and the business side of composition as well as the academics and theory behind it, our students are able to pursue a variety of music composition careers: in radio and television, with orchestras or chamber ensembles, and even composing soundscapes for video games, events or industrial applications.
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University of the Arts recently celebrated the grand opening of the Laurie Wagman Recording Studios on the 11th floor of Terra Hall. On Wednesday evening, Nov. 13, School of Music faculty, staff, students, university administrators and honored guests gathered to dedicate the space to its benefactor, Trustee Laurie Wagman. The opening of these state-of-the-art recording studios marks the culmination of the School of Music relocation and renovation project, which started in June 2018 and also features brand new rehearsal, classroom, office, lab and production spaces.
The dedication celebration included remarks from UArts President and CEO David Yager, School of Music Dean Micah Jones BM ’97 (Jazz Performance) MM ’99 (Jazz Studies) and Laurie Wagman. Remarks were followed by a ribbon-cutting and performance by UArts’ Transfusion ensemble, a highly dynamic group that programs an eclectic mix of sounds and primarily performs newly commissioned works by current students, alumni and faculty.
“The studios are a transformational gift to our School of Music and MBET program, which is experiencing incredible growth,” said Yager upon the announcement of the gift. “Laurie Wagman is deeply connected to the students and programs at UArts through her commitment of time and financial support and her personal relationships with students.”
Both recording studios are equipped with state-of-the-art, 24-channel API consoles and Antelope interfaces. There is a surround sound system in Studio A, while Studio B has a pair of Adam reference monitors. Both studios have a number of outboard compressors, equalizers and other effects processors. Studio A will also function as a fully analog space equipped with a 16-track tape machine.
“These are some of the best spaces I have ever seen in an urban university setting,” says Dean Jones. “Now, we have an environment where our students’ creativity can thrive. I cannot express how grateful we are for Laurie Wagman’s unwavering support of the school and where it is heading. Likewise, to our president, who has not only encouraged us to reimagine our campus, but has taken action to make those dreams a reality.”
Wagman’s generosity also helped create Laurie Wagman Presents, an MBET concert series managed and promoted by the program’s students, including Out of the Box, a series which promotes experimental, electronic and improvised music, mostly composed by MBET students and often featuring guest artists working at the fringes of their disciplines.
Wagman’s philanthropic focus is in the arts, education and social services, and she has been the recipient of numerous awards for her dedication to young people. She is the founder and president of American Theater Arts for Youth lnc. and American Family Theater. Under her four-decade leadership, the two organizations have presented professional, original musical productions to more than 32 million students throughout the U.S. In addition to University of the Arts, Wagman also serves on the boards of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the National Children’s Theater Alliance and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.
Learn more about about Uniquely UArts, the campaign for creative capital.