Case Studies & Student Wins

Below you’ll find stories from Wizarding School students who have implemented the creative and career-building tools I teach.

Check out what they've accomplished to see what’s possible for you in your composing.

DISCLAIMER: These results are not automatic. I bring 25+ years of composing experience and a PhD in Music Composition and Theory to my teaching, which shapes what students learn and how they apply it.

Most composers who fail to supplement their university training (or who rely only textbooks and YouTube videos) see limited progress. Universities excel at teaching technical skills like harmony and orchestration, but they don't systematically teach the creative processes, music cognition principles, or career-building strategies that working composers actually need.

The examples below came because my students rolled up their sleeves, did the work, and actively collaborated with me as their mentor. They took risks, stayed consistent, and pushed through the inevitable challenges.

Your own results will depend on your experience and work ethic. If you’re looking for overnight success or instant artistic growth, these results do not apply.

Her Second Ever Orchestra Piece Was Performed and Published

  • Composer: Stephanie Plautz

  • Piece: The Warmth in Yearning

  • Successes:

    • Programmed by the Concord Chamber Orchestra (WI) for its 2025–2026 concert season

    • Selected for the reading session of the the Texas Orchestra Directors Association 2025 Summer Convention in San Antonio

    • Published by Zicato Music in 2024

    • Recorded by the Budapest Art Orchestra in the Wizarding School for Composers’ 2023 Orchestral Composition Intensive

His Piano Concerto Won an International Prize and Received Its World Premiere

  • Composer: Danny English

  • Piece: Piano Concerto

  • Successes:

    • 2nd prize in the World Piano Day International Composition Competition in Belgium

    • Programmed by the Edgewood Symphony Orchestra (PA) for its 2025–2026 concert season

She Went from Professional Cellist to Published Composer

  • Composer: Katie Troy

  • Successes:

    • English horn and piano piece "Runaway Llama Train" published through TrevCo Music

    • Commissioned by the South Georgia String Project

    • Commissioned by the Concordia University Symphonia (MI), led by Dr. Eduard Teregulov

    • "Alligator Alley" (solo cello piece) performed frequently by cellist Dr. Eduard Teregulov as an encore

She Put A Poem to Music for Choir

  • Composer: Jennifer Rosenfeld

  • Piece: “The Choir Invisible” for SATB Choir

  • Successes:

    • Recorded piece with Brevitas

    • Made her first ever piano-reduction

From Pre-Law to MFA Grad Student: A Pandemic Redirection

  • Composer: Matthew Hua

  • Pieces: “Gap Year”; “Spring Awakening”; “Unresolved”; “Cabin in the Snow”; “Trail of Light”; “Magic Hour”; “Accept It”; “Fentanyl”

  • Successes:

    • Admitted into Columbia College Chicago for film scoring.

    • “Gap Year” read by Capital City Symphony

    • “Spring Awakening” read by Tufts University’s The Saxyderms

    • Premiered 3 original compositions with the Northern Virginia Community Orchestra

    • Forthcoming recording of “Gap Year” with the Budapest Scoring Orchestra

    • Contributed original music to his first ever short film, Voxraptor

From “Dead” Piece To a Full Recording

  • Composer: Marybeth Kurnat

  • Piece: “Moonrise” for SATB Choir

  • Successes:

    • “Rescued” this piece from her hard drive.

    • Received masterclass feedback that she “can’t put a price tag on.”

      Recorded with Brevitas.

Creating Community Through Choral Composition

  • Composer: Evan Mazunik

  • Piece: “Dona Nobis Pacem” for SATB Choir

  • Successes:

    • Recorded with Brevitas.

    • Released the song on Bandcamp

Recording Opportunities

Every ~3 months, the Wizarding School hosts recording sessions for emerging, adult composers. The goal of these sessions is to help you build your portfolio, expand your network, and promote your music. Check out a sampling of their recordings below and learn more about recording intensives.

Orchestra

Choir

Piano

How it’s helped composers like you…

Wizarding School students get performed and commissioned.

Laurel Christensen

“All Night I Could Not Sleep”
New Jersey All-State Choir

Jessica Margolin

“Dona Nobis Pacem”
First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Francisco, CA

Joseph Jones

Fragments No. 2 for 6 players
Decoda Ensemble at Carnegie Hall

Wizarding School students get published.

Iain MacDonald, John Bradshaw, Katie Troy, Kevin Kopsco, Matt Hess

All published oboe chamber works with TrevCo Music, the leading publisher of double reed music.

Wizarding School students get accepted to festivals and grad schools.

Greta Stiegler

Brevard 2023, Mostly Modern 2023,
Sofia Symphonic Summit 2024

Heather Savage

Appalachian State University’s master’s degree program in Music Composition

Beverly Beegle

Hidden Valley Emerging Composers Intensive 2023

What Our Alumni Are Saying

  • “I learned a ton from coaching with Dr. Sowa that I did not pick up in college.“

    Karalyn Schubring, BM in composition from Michigan, pianist and improviser

  • “The course was customized for each individual, so we were able to take the tasks and tools we were learning and apply them to our music. . . . I feel like I have more knowledge, critiquing skills, and tools that will help bring my music to the next level.”

    Heather Enke, Composer, pianist

  • "The value of the Wizarding School is flabbergasting — so much material. Even after the course ends, it will take a long time to go through it all."

    Jessica Margolin, composer

  • "If you feel like there is anything at all that is keeping you from writing the music you want to write, inquire about the Wizarding School for Composers. This program will be of great benefit to you."

    Ken Applegate, composer

  • Joining the Wizarding School will add you to a growing community that will fully support your musical journey, no matter where you are on that path!"

    Stephanie Plautz, composer, euphonium

  • “Before I took the Wizarding School course, my compositional process relied only on a combination of intuition and jazz theory. I now feel like I have an approach that removes the anxiety from the process and allows me to be my most creative self.”

    David Ashton, DMA in clarinet performance from Rutgers, NYC-based multi-woodwind performer, improviser, and composer

  • “I always sensed that I had the ability to be a composer and to make beautiful music, but felt that I didn't have the tools to make that happen. Because of the Wizarding School, those dreams of composing became possibilities.”

    Seth Castleton, DMA in cello performance from the University of Maryland

  • “Joseph has a knack for giving feedback that lets me keep ownership of the music. It always feels like his goal is to help me execute my vision as effectively as possible rather than impose his own.”

    Peter Gates, choral singer and composer