... what should I expect? I've been asked to bring 'some examples of my works', but thats about all I know... Would it be good to show I can compose for a variety of instruments, or should I just stick with what is most comfortable? I've never had a composition lesson as such, so any ideas/suggestions would be much appreciated
Thanks
Rosemary

Hi Rosemary,
Very well done for booking a composition lesson. I would take along some of your best work and perhaps a piece of yours that you are able to perform too. You might be asked about form in music and to do some aural work too. Do post back and tell us how it went.

Thanks Petrat Form is okay, aural work could be interesting It's not until half term, but I'm nervous already

Teaching composition is difficult, in my very limited experience. You can help your teacher by bringing work in progress and asking about any problems you have within it.

Just take some examples of work that you feel important - ideas are as important because the teacher will need to analyse where they think you want to go. So be ready to talk about what you want to do and maybe even the music (of other composers) that you like. Don't be put off if they're critical of what you've done. It's your creative impetus that counts. I agree with kenm. A teacher can only help you master the tools at your disposal, not teach you how to create.

IMO composition lessons can do at least three helpful things:

1) Improve your ability to notate the sounds in your head;

2) Stimulate your imagination;

3) Teach you how long movements can be made to hang together (otherwise known as "form").

I took courses in Renaissance counterpoint, "Twentieth Century Compositional Techniques", and "Composition within a Style" (= pastiche Corelli, Haydn, Mendelssohn). They all helped with all of these. In particular, the "Twentieth Century" course showed me lots of ways in which a set of notes could be elaborated to generate new material. Also, because they involved producing compositional exercises to a short time scale (one or two weeks) I was composing about twenty times faster by the time I graduated compared with before I started.

I also took a module of Analysis, in the hope that it would relate to composition. Unfortunately, it was all about Schenkerian Analysis, which relates only to tonal music, and does that in a manner that I find unconvincing. I have never found it useful in anything I have composed.

Your teacher was probably not qualified to teach Schenkerian analysis.

I had two. One was a part-time lecturer from Oxford, who seemed to know her stuff, but always prevaricated when I thought I had found a flaw in her argument. The second was our Professor, a Schenkerian with a very good international reputation. However, he also had an open mind, and gave me a good mark for an extended essay I wrote setting forth my objections to Schenker's arguments. You can read it here.

After some thought, I find Schenker's writings circular: his theory applies to "tonal masterpieces", which are works that conform to his methods. Also, his careful selection of composers and works is the sort of behaviour that would lose a scientist his research funding.