<p>I am currently a sophmore in high school, and i am looking to go to college for a composition major. How much (and what kind of things) do I need to know to get into a college for composition? And if I do make it, I do not want to be too far behind the other students. I do have a composition teacher right now, so I guess that would be a good place to start. Any kind of advice would be great.</p>
<p>This is a huge question - encompassing so many things.</p>
<p>As a mom of a composer I would say - the first thing is to listen to absolutely everything you can. All music, from all times, and all places. Go to concerts whenever possible - hear contemporary new music as well as the standards.</p>
<p>And I would say learn theory and analysis so you can start to understand the nuances of what you are hearing. Read books about music, orchestration, history. There are lots of good ones out there - from biographies to manuals. Learn where the music has come from, and where its place was in its time.</p>
<p>And I would say start getting your music performed immediately. Writing music that has to be played, working with the performers, and hearing the results is a fundamental education for a composer. Above all, don’t be afraid to take chances and make mistakes. Don’t worry if things don’t always work out the way you planned or imagined. Learn from your mistakes. No one is expecting a young composer to be a mature accomplished voice - they want to hear you exploring, pushing boundaries, trying to discover what exactly it is you’re trying to communicate.</p>
<p>As a developing composer, know why it is you want to compose. What drives you, what matters to you?</p>
<p>And then, when the time comes to apply to college you will be applying as a composer, not as an aspiring composer. Maybe a young one, undeveloped, with a world ahead of you - but you will have an idea of who you are as an artist and where you feel you would be most supported in developing that voice that you can now recognize.</p>
<p>If you can, try to go to a summer program. This is a great way to develop. learn some theory, and get a piece played.</p>
<p>Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Yellow Barn, Walden School, New York Summer Musin Festival at Oneanta (still has openings for this year, and Walden might too). California Summer Music at Sonoma State, Brevard are programs we know of.</p>
<p>Next fall, you might want to take a theory and solfege class, if you are near a place that offers it.</p>
<p>If you have a composition teacher, that’s great. </p>
<p>Start making discs of your pieces…whether you play piano and use a mike and record on your computer, or buy a recording device (the H2 is great, and not costly) and find musicians…Can your high school play some of your music?</p>
<p>What kind of music do you like, and who are some of your favorite composers?</p>
<p>Search for old threads on composition in this forum.</p>
<p>You can start with the thread here <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/497283-best-schools-music-composition.html?highlight=composition[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/497283-best-schools-music-composition.html?highlight=composition</a>, and I’ve posted a number of comp links there in post #21.</p>
<p>And some of the up and coming worth a listen [Project</a> 440 - WQXR](<a href=“http://www.wqxr.org/series/project440/]Project”>Project 440 | WQXR | New York's Classical Music Radio Station)</p>