About

Our unique program emphasizes compositional styles consistent with current trends in classical music that are also applicable to film, video and game scoring, and composing for the theater.

As a Composition Major at The Crane School of Music:

• You will have the unique opportunity to begin private composition study during your first year in the program. You will have the opportunity to gain a wide variety of perspectives by studying with a number of composition faculty members over the course of your degree. (And all private composition lessons are always taught by faculty, never graduate students.)
• You will have access to a state-of-the-art computer music studio.
• You will enjoy many opportunities to collaborate with performers and to hear your music performed live on our regularly scheduled composition recitals. There are also opportunities to present your music in off-campus venues.

• Composer/conductor Gunther Schuller works with Crane students.You will have weekly opportunities to meet with all of the composers at Crane (students and faculty together) to engage in discussions of your music and that of your colleagues, to collaborate on group compositions, and to study contemporary scores as well of those of the recent past.
• You will have the freedom to explore several elective options in arranging and orchestration, computer music, counterpoint, jazz, world music and other areas.