Composing is hard work. But creating things is one of the most satisfactory feelings known to humankind. These posts are written to help you as a composer or as a teacher who wants to help your students learn how to compose more easily.Â
This page shows you the 10 most recent posts for composing. If you wish to see more composing posts, please click here.Â
- The Editing Process of an Elementary Piano SoloThis is Part 3 of a series called The Process of Composing an Elementary Piano Solo. Here is Part 1 on writing the lyrics and Part 2 on composing the music. Call me a weirdo, but I really like the editing process. Maybe it’s because editing means that I’m through the difficult process of coming… Read more: The Editing Process of an Elementary Piano Solo
- Composing the Music of an Elementary Piano SoloThis is Part 2 of a new series called The Process of Composing an Elementary Piano Solo. In the first post of this series, I talked about how I write lyrics for an elementary piece of music. The article told you about the tedious (and fun) process in a careful, need, and linear way. But… Read more: Composing the Music of an Elementary Piano Solo
- Writing Lyrics for an Elementary Piano SoloThis is Part 1 of a new series called The Process of Composing an Elementary Piano Solo. I did something a little unusual as I was creating the two new Adventures of Little Fuzzies pieces: Easter Egg Hunt and April Fools’ Mischief. I started journaling about the composing process. It was fascinating even for myself… Read more: Writing Lyrics for an Elementary Piano Solo
- How to Add a Composer of the Month to Your StudioIt was my first “real” teaching job – the elementary music teacher for a small school. I was to share the class with the upper grades music teacher, who had been there for years and had many traditions. One of those traditions was “Cool Dead Dudes.” I found a poster labeled “Cool Dead Dudes”, with… Read more: How to Add a Composer of the Month to Your Studio
- 4 Words to Get You Moving and CreatingI ran across an article a few months back that I now think is so important in my life that I re-read it every week. Even without the pandemic and its continuing strain on our energy level, the difficulty of finding time to do our most important projects is difficult. I’m sure you’ve heard of… Read more: 4 Words to Get You Moving and Creating
- Not Feeling Your Pre-Pandemic Self?Last week, I said in the ComposeCreate newsletter that I had some encouraging thoughts percolating if you weren’t feeling your pre-pandemic self, but I joked that I had to find some pre-pandemic energy to write about it. That was no joke. Where is the energy I thought I’d have once vaccinations rolled out and things started opening… Read more: Not Feeling Your Pre-Pandemic Self?
- Composing is Like Alligator WrestlingComposing is Like Alligator Wrestling I’ve been composing during this slow month of December. Does that sound glamorous? Maybe so, and I don’t want to minimize the ecstasy that happens when a piece is started or when a piece is finished. But ohhhhh that middle part. That part that takes up most of the composing time.… Read more: Composing is Like Alligator Wrestling
- Teach Piano Improvisation with Forrest Kinney – Get the Create First Duet Book FREEI’m so excited to tell you about a brand new series of books by Forrest Kinney that is designed to teach improvisation to all ages of students, including beginners who have no pulse! I’ve been a fan of how Forrest teaches improvisation ever since I started seeing his workshops on his revolutionary Pattern Play* series. But… Read more: Teach Piano Improvisation with Forrest Kinney – Get the Create First Duet Book FREE
- A Look Inside the Process of Composing Music – What’s behind the NEW black key holiday piece!We’ve all had beginning piano students who are just not ready to move to the white keys as quickly as their books think they are! Maybe you’ve also have students who have moved to the white keys, but just aren’t ready for white key holiday or Christmas music. And chances are, you probably have beginning students who… Read more: A Look Inside the Process of Composing Music – What’s behind the NEW black key holiday piece!
- The Forgotten Step In Teaching Students to Write Good MelodiesWhat is the forgotten step in teaching students to write good melodies? It’s one that any piano teacher (even ones who don’t compose) can do with their students.