Why “Wizarding”?

How music creates goosebumps (etc.) is NOT a mystery. Music cognition research has shown that “musical magic” is a product of repetition, tension, and surprise.

Though the research doesn’t guarantee any individual listener will be moved be these effects, it does show that most Western listeners will.

Many teachers are unaware of the relevant research.

Many others cannot describe it succinctly and clearly. They struggle to separate the facts from the myths and superstitions about it prevalent in the composing world.

Others claim that magic is ineffable and unteachable.

Some even argue it isn’t a desirable goal.*

* For some experimental and avant-garde music, it’s not. And that’s fine. But for the rest of us, this belief is both unnecessary and harmful to our artistic success.

People with composing degrees actually get the most benefit from the Wizarding School. The program is designed to complement and contextualize your skills.

• This is NOT a course on undergrad-level theory and composing technique. It’s a course on how to use that technique more efficiently and reliably than you’ve ever imagined possible.

• I explicitly show you how to translate your inspiration and craft into musical magic. I call out the myths and superstitions surrounding this process.

• I further show you how to find and own your voice. Unlike other teachers and courses, I believe that your artistic voice is bigger than “your unique sound.” I show you how your “style” fits into the big picture.

You don’t need a composition degree for the Wizarding School to be a powerful experience. These are the traits that make successful Wizarding School students:

1. You’ve already studied undergrad-level theory, either in a university program or through other instruction.

2. You’ve been composing for more than a year.

3. You want to make an impact with your music. This could look like:

   • Professional performers who want to write music for themselves and their colleagues to perform proudly.

   • Dedicated, amateur composers who want to their music to reach a wide audience.

The Wizarding School covers 3 essential topics:

1. What artistic voice actually is and how you can focus your artistic and career efforts to hone and amplify it.

2. How style and timing work together to create musical magic through in-depth score study and careful examination of musical elements (melody, rhythm, texture, etc.).

3. The workflows and processes that most reliably and effectively translate your craft, studies, and inspiration into completed, magical music.

All students meet with me live on Zoom, twice per week for 15 weeks, for hands-on group workshops, score study sessions, and office hours.

VIP-program students also meet with me privately.

Between live sessions, students

• Watch pre-recorded lectures on key concepts

• Apply what they’re learning in guided score study and composition assignments

• Meet with peer accountability partners and post in the private online forum for further feedback and support

You can expect to devote a minimum of 4–6 hours per week on the workshops and your own composing.

After 15 weeks, when you sit down to compose, you can can tackle every composing task with understanding and self-assurance:

• Capture your inspiration

• Develop your ideas

• Design ear-catching sounds and textures

• Write memorable melodies

• Create effective tension and surprises

• Identify exactly how the pieces you love created their specific magical effects

• Judge the rightness and quality of what you write

• Work fluently, every time you sit down to compose

• Sketch efficiently

• Revise confidently

By the end of the program, you will have:

• Completed one or more original projects

• Learned a comprehensive set of tools that will help you write magical music reliably and effectively.

• Identified and documented your personal, best creative practices

With 80 hours of live instruction over 15 weeks, the Wizarding School is roughly equivalent to 5 graduate credit hours.

At Brandeis, where I got my PhD, just the basic package of the Wizarding School would cost at least $6,687.

Even a good state school (Indiana University) would charge $3,440 for the basic package in IN-STATE tuition (and an eye-popping $10,766.50 for out-of-state!).

By comparison, the basic package of the Wizarding School is a very reasonable $2,997, and the VIP package—with its additional 1:1 instruction and A-list guests—is an absolute steal at $4,497.

Likewise, the Premiere package is priced competitively with what recording services charge for a professional orchestral recording ($6,000-8,000 for JUST the recording compared to everything else you get in the Wizarding School).

The Wizarding School does represent an investment in yourself and your musical future. If the cost is still a reach for you, I also offer payment plans.

Just because you aren’t a current Wizarding School student doesn’t mean you no longer get my support!

Here are three ways your Wizarding experience can continue after the course is over:

1. All Wizarding School students get lifetime access to the Wizarding School Training Library, including future updates.

2. I often offer free workshops. To stay informed of when these happen, sign up for my mailing list.

3. If you have short questions, feel free to post them on the Wizarding School for Composers Facebook group and email them to me.