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Free Zone

FOR ALL LEVELS!

🎼 Unlock the magic of music! 🎬

FOR ALL LEVELS!

Harmony & Music Theory for COMPOSERS
SEPT 16!

Overcome your obstacles and make them a thing of the past!

THE MOST. HANDS ON, AND REAL WORLD MUSIC THEORY PROGRAM DESIGNED TO GIVE YOU AN AMAZING CREATIVE PALLETE!

Welcome to
MUSIC THEORY FOR COMPOSERS

You Have the Passion… But Do You Have the Tools?

If you’re a composer, producer, or musician trying to create professional, emotionally powerful music, you’ve probably faced these struggles:

  • Your compositions feel basic or repetitive because you rely on the same chords over and over
  • You can hear the music in your head, but can’t translate it into reality
  • Your melodies lack emotional depth because you don’t know how to support them with the right harmony
  • You feel stuck when trying to compose in different genres because your theory knowledge is limited
  • You want to write for film, but your music doesn’t sound “cinematic” enough
  • You’re missing out on professional scoring jobs because your harmonic language isn’t at a pro level

 Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone. Many talented composers hit a wall because they never truly master harmony and composition. But that ends today!

This LIVE Course Will Change Your Music Forever

Learn to compose with confidence—LIVE with expert instructors!

In just 8 weeks, you’ll go from guessing to understanding exactly how harmony works—so you can create music that’s rich, emotional, and professional.

  • Break free from basic chords and unlock complex, cinematic progressions
  • Shape melodies that move listeners with harmony that enhances emotion
  • Learn the secret techniques used by Hollywood composers
  • Master orchestration and sound design to make your scores sound HUGE

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

Week 1:

Lecture 1: Unlocking the Secrets of Harmony—The Harmonic Series, the Keyboard, and the Circle of Fifths

Ever wonder why some notes just sound right together? In this first lesson, we’ll explore the harmonic series, the natural foundation of all music, and how it shapes the way we hear and build harmony. We’ll also unlock the keyboard as a map, showing you how the twelve-note octave and the Circle of Fifths make keys, chords, and progressions easy to understand. By the end, you’ll see harmony in a whole new way—where everything just clicks.

What You’ll Learn:

  • The Harmonic Series – The natural blueprint behind all harmony
  • The 12-Note Octave – How music is structured across different instruments
  • The Circle of Fifths – The ultimate tool for mastering keys and progressions

Lecture 2: Cracking the Code—Intervals, the Major Scale, and Its Modes

Music’s color and emotion come from intervals—the spaces between notes that create tension and resolution. We’ll break down the Major Scale, the foundation of Western music, and explore its modes, seven unique sounds that shape everything from classical to jazz to rock. By the end, you’ll hear music in a whole new way.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Intervals – The key to melody and harmony
  • The Major Scale – Music’s foundation
  • Modes – Seven essential sounds for every style

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

Week 2:

Lecture 3: Building Blocks of Harmony—Triads, Seventh Chords, and Chord Scales

Chords shape everything in music. We’ll start with triads, the three-note foundation of harmony, then expand to seventh chords for added depth and color. Finally, we’ll break down chord scales, showing you how to pick the right notes over any harmony. By the end, you’ll think in chords and hear new possibilities in every key.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Triads – The backbone of harmony
  • Seventh Chords – Richer, more colorful voicings
  • Chord Scales – Matching notes to chords for melody and improvisation

Lecture 4: Crafting Melodies—The Four Elements of Music

What makes a melody unforgettable? We’ll break down melodic shaping, exploring how great melodies are built and why they stick. But melody doesn’t stand alone—it works with harmony, rhythm, and time to create music that moves us. By the end, you’ll know how to shape and craft melodies with confidence.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Melody – How to shape and develop strong musical ideas
  • Harmony – Supporting and enhancing melody
  • Rhythm – The pulse that gives music energy and motion
  • Time – How music unfolds and creates momentum

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

Week 3:

Lecture 5: The Power of Chord Progressions—Cadential Hierarchy in Action

Why do some chord progressions feel inevitable, while others surprise us? In this lesson, we’ll unlock Cadential Hierarchy, a system that reveals how chords naturally flow in music. You’ll learn how Tonic, Pre-Dominant, and Dominant functions shape progressions, from classic ii–V–I movements to expressive chromatic twists. By the end, you’ll move from diatonic harmony to using all 12 notes freely, adding color, tension, and resolution to your music.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Cadential Hierarchy – How chord progressions create motion and resolution
  • Diatonic Harmony – The foundation of tonal music
  • Chromaticism – Expanding progressions with borrowed chords and alterations

Lecture 6: Expanding Harmony—Chord Substitutions, Borrowing, and Modulation

Now that we’ve explored how chords flow, it’s time to make them more flexible and expressive. This lesson is about swapping, borrowing, and transforming chords to add movement and variety. You’ll learn how to substitute chords for smoother progressions, borrow from parallel modes, and modulate to new keys—all techniques that break free from predictable harmony and bring your music to life.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Chord Substitutions – Replacing chords for smoother movement and richer color
  • Borrowing – Pulling harmonies from parallel modes and outside keys
  • Modulation – Shifting tonal centers naturally and expressively

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

Week 4:

Lecture 7: The Art of Counterpoint—Weaving Melodies Like the Masters

Ready to take your harmony skills to the next level? In this lesson, we’ll unlock the secrets of counterpoint using the 8563 method to build multiple melodies that work together, forming the foundation of choirs, orchestral music, and film scores. You’ll learn how to balance consonances, create smooth voice leading, and develop rich, flowing musical lines. Starting with two melodies, you’ll expand into three- and four-voice textures, crafting intricate harmonies where every note has a purpose.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Melodic Shaping – Crafting melodies that complement each other
  • Counterpoint – Writing independent lines that interlock seamlessly
  • The 8563 Method – An intuitive approach to balancing melody and harmony

Lecture 8: From Piano to Orchestra—Harmonizing Like the Masters

Starting with simple triads, we’ll transform them into open, richer voicings inspired by the harmonic series. Then, we’ll break down Bach’s chorales, analyzing how he used spacing, movement, and voice leading to create seamless four-part harmony—the blueprint for everything from symphonies to film scores. Next, we’ll apply these concepts through Roman numeral analysis and reharmonization, reshaping melodies with counterpoint techniques. Finally, we’ll take a chorale phrase and expand it for orchestra, applying the same principles to strings, brass, and woodwinds—just like Beethoven, Debussy, and John Williams have done to bring their music to life.

What You’ll Learn:

  • SATB – The foundation of four-part harmony
  • Roman Numeral Analysis – Understanding and applying harmonic structure
  • Orchestral Expansion – Spreading harmony across instruments for a fuller sound

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

Week 5:

Mid-Course Break—Catch Up, Review, and Recharge

You’ve made it through the first half of the course—now it’s time to pause, review, and solidify your understanding before we dive deeper. This week is your chance to catch up on missed assignments, revisit key concepts, and reinforce everything you’ve learned so far so you’re fully prepared for what’s next.
But this isn’t just a break—it’s your exclusive opportunity to connect directly with your instructor. Join the midweek group Zoom Q&A to ask anything—from counterpoint to chord function—live and in real time. No prerecorded videos, no generic answers—just expert insights and interactive discussion with your peers.
Plus, each student gets a one-hour private Q&A session for personalized guidance on any topic.
Take advantage of this week—because next, we’re taking things to the next level.

What You’ll Get::

  • Time to Recharge – Catch up, review, and reinforce key concepts
  • Live Group Q&A – Ask anything and get real-time expert insights
  • Private 1-on-1 Session – Personalized guidance on any topic

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

Week 6:

Lecture 9: Composing—How to Start, Move, and Resolve Your Music

Ever sit down to write, only to get stuck on the first chord? In this lesson, we’ll show you how to break free from writer’s block using tonic prolongation—a technique that keeps your music moving without sounding random. From there, we’ll explore chord progressions, uncovering the theory behind harmonic motion and development. Finally, you’ll learn how to bring phrases to a natural stop with cadences, so your progressions always feel intentional and complete.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Initiating Motion – Establish direction and confidently begin a progression
  • Sustaining Flow – Maintain harmonic momentum and continuity
  • Arriving with Purpose – Use cadences to shape clear and intentional resolutions

Lecture 10: Unlocking Unique Sounds—How Composers Create Modern Harmonic Colors

Some of the most unforgettable film scores, jazz solos, and game soundtracksdon’t rely on traditional major and minor scales. Instead, composers use alternative scales to create fresh tonal colors and unexpected harmonies. In this lesson, we’ll explore symmetrical, synthetic, modal, pentatonic, and transformed scales, breaking down how they shape distinct moods and signature sounds. You’ll learn how to harmonize these scales, apply them in voice leading, and expand your harmonic language to break free from predictable progressions.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Expanding Your Palette – Explore scales beyond major and minor
  • Harmonizing Alternative Scales – Apply voice leading and harmonic principles
  • Shaping Your Sound – Use modern harmonic colors to develop your unique style

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

Week 7:

Lecture 11: Finding Your Voice—Composing with Sonority

Some composers start with melody, others with harmony—but we’re starting with sound itself. In this lesson, you’ll choose a sonority—whether a chord, cluster, or texture—and develop it into a complete piece. We’ll explore techniques like arpeggiation, register shifts, added tones, and voice-leading connections to shape your material into something unique.

Through improvisation, exploration, and structured revision, you’ll draft a short prelude that captures your personal sound. Whether you finalize it in a DAW or notate it for live performance, you’ll walk away with a polished, one-minute composition—a musical idea that reflects your voice.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Exploring Sonority – Discover unique sounds and textures as a starting point
  • Improvisation & Intuition – Develop ideas organically through play and experimentation
  • Shaping & Expanding – Use register, dynamics, and development techniques to refine material
  • Refinement & Revision – Sculpt a complete musical idea through structured revision

Lecture 12: Cinematic Harmony—Beyond Traditional Chord Progressions

Not all music follows traditional progressions—some of the most emotional and immersive scores are built on sonority, texture, and motion rather than predictable harmonic movement. In this lesson, we’ll explore alternative harmonic approachesthat create atmosphere, color, and expressive depth in your music, including static harmony, drones and pedal points, quartal and cluster voicings, and epic, romantic cinematic progressions that define the rich, modern harmonic language of film scoring.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Static Harmony – Creating movement with sustained textures instead of chord changes
  • Textural Voicings – Using quartal, cluster, and open-spaced harmonies for color
  • Cinematic Progressions – Fluid harmonic motion beyond traditional functional harmony

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

Week 8:

Bringing It All Together—Orchestration & Film Scoring

In these final two lessons, we’ll take everything we’ve learned—from harmony, counterpoint, and chord progressions to sonority, cinematic techniques, and modern harmonic approaches—and apply it to the art of orchestration. Whether you’re composing for orchestra, film, or even pop music, this is where all the elements come together.

Lecture 13: Classical Orchestration—Shaping Harmony, Melody & Texture

Before film composers scored epic soundtracks, they mastered orchestration through the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic traditions. In this lesson, we’ll analyze how historical masters shaped harmony, melody, and texture to create rich orchestrations that enhance musical storytelling. Through score study and hands-on application, you’ll learn how to apply these time-tested techniques to your own compositions, regardless of genre.

Lecture 14: Film Scoring—Modern Techniques in Orchestration

Film scoring builds on classical orchestration, but expands it with new expressive tools. We’ll explore how film composers use orchestral color, hybrid scoring, modern harmony, and thematic development to create unforgettable soundscapes. You’ll learn how to orchestrate for both traditional concert settings and cinematic music, bridging the gap between orchestral richness and contemporary production techniques.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Classical Orchestration – How historical masters structured their orchestrations
  • Film Scoring Techniques – How modern composers shape sound for the screen
  • Orchestral Textures & Production – Blending traditional and contemporary approaches
  • Bringing It All Together – Applying orchestration techniques to your own music

Taught LIVE VIA ZOOM live

Twice Weekly Training

2-Hour Class Times Via Zoom. Real projects related to scoring!

All Classes Recorded

Have a scheduling issue? No worries! You can watch any time!

No worries!

You can watch any time!Time to Answer Your Questions. Get rid of the gaps in your understanding!

For Composers

Not Just a Boring College Class It applies to real-world composing! Start, even if you don’t have any theory background!

Meet our team

WIll provide soon

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MICHAEL WHITTAKER

Michael Whittaker is an Emmy-nominated composer and the director of Scorecraft Composer Academy. With over 300 TV and film credits, including Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and The New Addams Family, his work has been featured by Disney, Sony, NBC, and Netflix, earning accolades like the Telly Award.

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STEVE
STEELE

University Of North Texas – double major music theory and composition. Works with composers worldwide, building templates, teaching and preparing students for professional level work. Steve is a master of scoring technology including Finale, and Dorico and serves as advisor to many sample library and DAW companies

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Our testimonials

Hey Michael, I want to thank you again for letting me in on the way you look at reharmonizing chords to get much more rich and interesting textures and progressions. I always wondered how you guys did that and I thought if got a good grip on the modes that it would suddenly click. Well, I was disappointed to discover that I wasn’t much better at reharmonizing even after learning the modes. The technique you showed me in 5 minutes was/is more impactful on my writing and creative approach than anything I have learned in Berkelee, or anywhere else along my musical journey. I have been practicing this new technique and, like you said, it is making my ideas sound so much more sophisticated and engaging. I feel like you showed me a secret that only the great composers know about and no one else is willing to share. I want you to know that that one technique alone has had a bigger impact on me creatively than anything else anyone has ever taught me about music. Even just after one lesson, you are a huge influence on all the music I will write from this point forward. I truly can’t be more grateful. Thank you so much!
Dave
"As a music school graduate, I thought I had a solid grasp of harmony—but working with Steve Steele completely changed my perspective. Despite my formal education, I often found myself struggling to apply harmonic concepts in a way that truly elevated my compositions.

Steve not only helped me break through these obstacles, but he also gave me the tools to think about harmony in a much deeper, more intuitive way. His ability to simplify complex ideas while pushing me to explore new creative possibilities was a game-changer. Thanks to his guidance, my writing has improved dramatically, and I now approach composition with a confidence I never had before.

If you're serious about film scoring or composition and want to overcome the hurdles holding you back, Steve is the mentor you need!"
Dennis

Affordable & Accessible – Only $399 for the Full Course - SEPT 16

Most film scoring programs cost thousands—but you can get this full, live training for just $399.

  • LIVE online classes – No pre-recorded fluff! Ask questions & get answers in real-time
  • Personal feedback on your compositions
  • Lifetime access to all recordings
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Contact

Please reach out for questions or academic information. We would love to speak with you!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the primary focus of the Music Theory Course?

The course emphasizes practical applications of music theory, enabling composers to create emotionally powerful and professional music.

Unlike traditional theory courses, this program integrates real-world composition techniques with theoretical knowledge, focusing on film scoring and contemporary music production.

Yes, the course includes practical assignments where students apply theoretical concepts to actual composition projects, enhancing their understanding and skills.

The curriculum explores various genres, teaching students how to adapt their compositions to different styles and contexts effectively.

Yes, the course covers orchestration techniques and instrumentation choices, helping students understand how to create desired textures and dynamics in their compositions.

$399 for 8 weeks of bi-weekly training.

The course starts on *Tues Sept 20*. Sessions take place *every Tuesday and Friday at 1 PM Central US time*. All Classes Recorded to Watch after!

Yes, beginners and intermediate-level theorists will benefit from this course.

Yes, all classes are taught via *ZOOM* and recorded for you to come back to at any time. You can go at your own pace, even though it is taught live.

The academy offers continued support to students, ensuring that any questions or challenges encountered during the course are addressed promptly.

Take a look at our Syllabus

PART ONE – Chordal State Lecture

  • Chordal States – constantly change based on harmony, melody, and film emotion
    • Grounded state versus Ungrounded state.
      • Grounded states and examples
      • Ungrounded states examples including altered tone degrees or dissonance.
    • Tools to use in between Grounded and Ungrounded, when you don’t know what the emotion will be:
      • Lydian Mode “chord” – Root + Major Third + Flatted 5th
      • Augmented triad example
      • Suspended triad
      • Intervallic triad
    • Spotify Listening – Film Score Intensive 1 playlist.
    • Homework Session – Thor Love & Thunder cue

PART TWO – Spotting, Dialog, Scoring Devices

  • Questions to ask at a Spotting Session
  • Writing around dialogue
  • Musical Devices – Key, Mode, Register, Tempo, Density, etc
  • Review Michael’s Thor cue – introduction to the review process

PART ONE – Animated Scoring and intro to Harmonic textures

  • Review of students’ Thor cue
  • Monophonic Orchestration Style (#1) from George Frederick McKay’s Creative Orchestration – 8 Orchestra Textures
    • Can be a solo instrument, doubled in octaves, or unison at same register with different instruments.

Homework – Sonic the Hedgehog cue

PART TWO

  • Review of students’ Thor cue

PART ONE – Expanded Harmony and intro to comedy writing

  • Chordal Harmony (#2) and Onomatopoeia (#8) Orchestration Style
    • Chordal Harmony – melody is supported by chords, without countermelody or conter-rhythm, in its entirety.
    • Onomatopoeia – music sounds like its subject – any musical device you can think of.
  • Review of students’ Sonic cue
  • Kids’ Music and Comedy – Types of writing – bumper-based shows, rock/pop, cheesy and sparse, short stings or reactionary scoring, electronic/EDM, classic lo-fi, instrumentation, etc.

Homework – Little Margo cue

PART TWO – THURSDAY-SCI FI Music, Chromatic Expansion and Hans Zimmer Music

  • Review of students’ Sonic cue
  • “How DUNE Composer Hans Zimmer created the Oscar-winning score l Vanity Fair” YouTube video
  • Review of students’ Little Margo cue

PART ONE – Chromatic expansion, polyphonic texture, Sound design drones

  • Polyphonic Writing, Orchestration Style – consists of two or more simultaneous melodic lines. Similar to fugues or counterpoint. Maybe side by side to start, then together.
  • Spotify listening playlist – Polyphonic Harmony
  • Chromatic Expansion – Take the top voice and go up chromatically while chords change underneath.
  • Review students’ Little Margo cue
  • Making a Drone using a Synth Plugin
  • Homework – Mandalorian cue

PART TWO – Live Scoring “star Wars” Speed Writing

  • LIVE Scoring session – Star Wars Carbonite – spotting and scoring
  • Loopback sample setup

PART ONE – Modulations, secondary harmonic dominants, James Bond Music(SPY)

  • “Kobe Bryant’s Greatest Speech – BEST Motivation Ever” YouTube video
  • Review of students’ Mandalorian cue
  • Secondary Harmonic Dominants (teoria.com) – method of prolongation of the chordal structure and movement to another chord or key, including false cadences.
  • Spotting session – Golden Eye cue
  • Spotify playlist – Bond Music – Spy music – review instrument palette and playing styles.

WEEK 5 PART TWO – Templates Intro including libraries, MIDI CC

  • “John Barry and David Arnold – The Music of James Bond” YouTube video – music review
  • MIDI CC’s – 1, 7, & 11 – how to get a quick and dynamic response from brass and strings.
  • Michael shares a look at his Template and favorite Libraries.

PART ONE – James Newton Howard, Trailer music,

  • “The Pretty Woman soundtrack changed my career / James Howard Newton on Composing” YouTube review.
  • Review of students’ Golden Eye cue
  • Trailer & Promo Music – both part of music library music
    • Promo – Station promotes a new show or episode coming up
    • Trailer – written in shorter sections, not a lot of modulation or melody, with editable hit points, ostinato, swells, etc.
    • Spotting session – Joker Trailer cue

PART TWO – Guest in depth dive of Vienna Ensemble and Midi mapping/articulations

Guest teacher Steve Steele – Creating Articulation Maps, Vienna Ensemble Pro, Babylon Waves Art Conductor, MIDI CC’s, creating a workflow and Aux’s in your Template in detail.

PART 1 – Sound Design,Reharm progressions, Motifs and themes

  • Sound Design – anything non-orchestral or non-band oriented
    • Best chance of success in trailer music if you are good at sound design – more important than how good you are at orchestral music.
  • Spotify listening playlist – Sound Design
  • Incorporating Sound Design alongside Orchestral music in trailers, so you can hardly tell which is which. Strings and Synths made to sound like one thing – together.
  • Review of students’ Joker Trailer cue
  • Spotting session – Star Wars Return of the Jedi cue.

PART 2 – Reharm discussion including John Williams, Hybrid Brass

  • Reharmonization – cool chord progressions
    • vi-IV-II is a very powerful one, cinematic, gets you out of one key
    • vi-IV-VII keeps building and overcoming.
    • Variations: I-iv6-II Great for REVEALS with the last chord
  • Hybrid String-Synth and Brass-Synth creation
    • How to make a Hybrid Synth & Orchestral String instrument from scratch, including many FX plugins
  • Star Wars Theme Reharmonization ideas

PART 1 – SATB Scoring, Homophonic textures, Musicals

  • Homophonic Texture orchestration style – Melody with texture of chords underneath. SATB
  • Review of students’ Star Wars Return of the Jedi cue.
  • Homework – Lion King cue

PART 2 – Live Satb Scoring, Voice Leading In Film Scores

  • Review of students’ Star Wars Return of the Jedi cue.
  • LIVE Scoring – SATB
  • “How to Get From Chord to Chord – Voice Leading Music Theory by Odd Quartet” YouTube video review
  • “The Orchestration Method that ALWAYS Works by Ryan Leach” YouTube video review.

PART ONE – ADVENTURE MUSIC, Advanced Orchestral Devices

  • Flying and Adventure music – instrumentation and characteristics
  • Review of students’ Lion King cue
  • Homework – Jurassic Park cue
  • Orchestral Devices
    • Bi-tonal division – ability to superimpose other modes over/under your melody
    • Metric Modulation
    • Elongation
    • Melodic Counters
    • Register Division
  • Analysis of 1 minute of John Williams’ Jurassic Park Conductor’s score

PART 2 – Music Business Part 1, Music Libraries, Brand Development

  • Review of students’ Lion King cue
  • Analysis of Jurassic Journey to the Island
  • Music Business – Pitching to Music Libraries – What to Do
    • Creating your own catalog, brand and unique perspective.
    • Write a few paragraphs about your “Brand”.

PART ONE – Westerns And Their Traditional Orchestral Devices

  • Review of students’ Jurassic Park cue
  • Western Music review – instrumentation, characteristics, etc
    • Western Sub-Styles –
      • The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
      • Aaron Copland Heroic style, such as Billy the Kid
    • Spotify listening playlist – Westerns FSS
    • Spotting session – Butch Cassidy cue
  • Review of Western music sample libraries

PART TWO – Writing Transitions, Vertical And Horizontal Compositional Syles

  • Review students’ Jurassic Park cue
  • Transitions in compositional scoring
    • Trumpet Transition sample
    • Displaced Entry Transition
    • Major 7 on the V chord Transition
    • Rhythmic Displacement Transition

PART ONE – Orchestral Reductions, Holst Analysis And Uses

  • Review students’ Butch Cassidy cue
  • 20th Century Orchestration Style –
    • Holst: The Planets listening and review instrumentation and characteristics
  • Analyze “Mercury, The Winged Messenger” section from The Planets, and do a Score Reduction.
    • Dovetailing – when you move the melody or something up and down in register and section of the orchestra.
    • Major Tetrachords
    • Staggered triads in the Harp
  • “The Planets: Mercury, the Winged Messenger Score Reduction and Analysis” YouTube video
  • HOMEWORK – Spiderman cue

PART TWO – Invervalic Writing,in Class Score

  • Review students’ Butch Cassidy cue
  • Intervalic writing style (from Paraschetti book on 20th Century writing) – can be used under dialogue and can also be a way to transition between tension and release. The point is to create tension under the score without key and mode. Move by chord or by single notes. Every interval in a melody has an emotion. Review each one.
    • Two levels to Intervallic writing – Melody and Harmonization

LIVE scoring – write a melody with 2 woodwinds, with 4 changes in the melody, 4 intervals. Harmonize with another instrument underneath. Note change in emotion.

PART ONE – Hybrid Scoring Intro

  • Review students’ Spiderman cue
  • Hybrid Sound Design Music inspired by Songs
  • How to make a Pulse from scratch, including FX plugins
    • Favorite plugins and libraries
  • Spotting session – The Matrix lobby shootout cue
  • Spotify listening playlist – Hybrid Scoring

PART TWO – Advanced Sound Design And Project Pitch Creation

  • Review students’ Spiderman cue
  • Stylus RMX and REX files
  • Audio Mangling tools and favorite plugins
  • LIVE scoring – Record something audio, chip it up, reverse, delays, distortion, glitches, etc. Make an instrument out of it.

PART ONE – Music Of Jerry Goldsmith, Sci Fi, Horror Music

  • Review students’ The Matrix cue
  • Horror music – instrumentation and characteristics, sample libraries
  • Alien soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith analysis
  • Spotify listening playlist – Week 4 FSS Horror
  • Spotting session – Prey (Predator 7) Final Battle Predator vs Naru Fight Scene cue

PART TWO – Mixing Part One

  • Review students’ The Matrix cue
  • Mixing – Thing in Frequency Ranges. Group tracks by frequency
    • How to treat Tracks and Stems
      • EQ can be built into your Template. Every project may be different, though.
      • Make a Bus/Aux Track for each plugin effect.
    • Compression, Reverb, EQ etc. concepts and products
    • How to Set Up a Master Bus

PART ONE – Atonal Music

  • Review students’ Prey cue
  • Atonal music style – instruments, characteristics, sample libraries
    • Uses shapes and colors outside key and mode.
    • Doesn’t have to be dissonant all the time.
    • Nebulous emotional center
      • Two ways to increase emotional intensity – speeding up or down, crescendo/decrescendo
      • Homogenous instruments or Non-Homogenous instruments
    • Spotting session – Mizimono cue (Hannibal season finale)
    • Spotify listening playlist – Atonal Class Music
    • Ideas for Scoring Atonal Music
      • 12-tone system of writing
      • Use Intervals in dissonant shapes
      • Alternate mild consonant interval to a more dissonant interval in succession
      • Clusters

PART TWO – Switching States And Emotions Rapidly, Midi Mockup

  • Review students’ Prey cue
  • LIVE Scoring – Atonal to Tonal – Grounded to Ungrounded
  • How to Record Initial Volumes into MIDI Instrument Tracks (and Gainstaging)
    • Adjusting CC’s on instruments, stems, leaving headroom on the master bus

PART ONE – Team Scoring Week, Bernard Hermann

  • Spotify listening playlist – Film Score History – Bernhard Herman, Vertigo & Psycho film scores
  • Review students’ Mizimono cue
  • Working with a Team – Work in pairs remotely to write Great Wolf Lodge cue.
    • Some of the best film score composers today have teams – Hans Zimmer, Harry Gregson-Williams, etc.
    • Who will write what? Style? Tempo? Key? Who will do the Deliverables to submit to Producer?
  • HOMEWORK – Great Wolf Lodge cue

PART TWO – Stacks And Ensemble Writing, Master Business Planning

  • Review students’ Mizimono cue
  • LIVE Scoring – Make an Instrument by Stacking instruments – Omnisphere is great for this. Trailer music and music library work, and Pop – these will require that you bring something new to the table. Can turn them into Risers, resample them, add FX plugins, etc.
  • Write a Master Plan – Don’t be on the No Plan Plan. Make a list of people, organizations, events, etc that you can access to promote yourself and make connections and relationships.

PART ONE – Computer Technology, Romantic Comedies

  • Computer configuration – Tech spec discussion regarding requirements for a good computer or network – size, speed, etc.
  • Review students’ Great Wolf Lodge TEAM cue
  • Romantic & Romantic Comedy music –
    • Instruments, writing styles, sample libraries
    • Woodwinds feature heavily, Pizzicato, Lydian mode, mallets, not super heavily orchestrated, etc
  • Write a Romantic Theme for violin. Deliver a chart for just the violin part. Send audio of orchestration or accompaniment with separate click track. Next week, we’ll have a live violinist in the studio to play and record your theme.
  • Spotify listening playlist – Romantic Comedy Score review
  • HOMEWORK – Titanic cue

THURSDAY – LIVE RECORDING IN CLASS WITH STRING PLAYER

PART ONE – Sync Music,promo Music, Hits Slams, Drums

  • Review students’ Titanic cue
  • Sync Music – Different styles, musical beds, used before TV shows, announcing new series/episodes, in movie trailers.
    • Definite format to this style
    • Big drum sounds
    • Editable hit points
    • Original music or Soundalikes
  • How to get your music in front of the right people. Who are the right people? How does the business of Sync music work?
  • Spotify listening playlist – PROMO Music/Sync playlist.
  • HOMEWORK – Back to the Future cue

PART TWO – Trailer Music<,music Pitch Part Two

  • Review students’ Titanic cue
  • LIVE Scoring – Trailer ending sample (last 15 seconds)
    • BIG ending, fast and frantic
    • Rise, Post Hit, then a sparkly thing at the end
  • Samples Libraries good for Trailer sounds

PART ONE – Video Game Music And Industry

  • Video Game Music – Non-linear, think in “blocks” of music
    • Must loop right at the zero point and create a tiny fade at the front and the end. Snap to Zero Crossings.
    • Emotional Mapping
    • Vertical Resequencing, Horizontal Resequencing
    • Cross Fading
    • Transitions
    • Middleware – Game Audio Engine
  • Spotify listening playlist – Video Game Music Mix
  • Spotting session – Video game cue “sections”. Deliver loopable audio regions for selected parts of the game.
  • Review students’ Back to the Future cue

PART TWO – Advanced Chordal And Tectural Scoring Techniques

  • Review students’ Bank to the Future cue
  • LIVE Scoring – Leading Shapes, Whole Tone Scale – Go from Lydian shape to resolution, which needs to modulate somewhere else. Use Leading or Common Tone resolutions style.
  • Leading Shapes, Whole Tone Scale – very useful if someone comes to a new place, or if there are mixed emotions.
    • Two whole tone scales – one starting on C and one starting on C#. Triads are all Augmented triads. Lots of Lydian Shapes in the Whole Tone Scale.
    • Leading Resolution
    • Common Tone Resolution
    • Alternate Root Notes

PART ONE – Mixing And Mastering

  • How the Video Game music business works – special events, etc
  • Review students’ Video Game loops
  • Mixing & Mastering Considerations –
    • Think front to back – far to close
    • Where to put reverb plugin in the signal chain
    • Frequency Masking
    • Drum sample mixing
  • HOMEWORK – Toy Story cue
  • Students screenshare live and “show and tell” their mixing workflow for the Toy Story cue. Have DAW open to show us.

PART TWO – Guest Composer

  • Guest composer Gigi Meroni Animation music specialist.
    • References for music given by Producers.
    • Are most of your episodes shorter these days?
    • Do you get writer’s block?
    • What are some good ways to try to get work when you’re just starting out?
  • Mixing Drums – Split them out and mix separately – LOTS of detail regarding drum positioning, panning, bleed, overhead mics, EQ ranges for each drum type, etc.

PART ONE – Personal Plan, Business Development, Final Full Episode

  • Review students’ Toy Story cue and DAW Mixing/Mastering workflow
  • HOMEWORK – Wolf Lodge FINAL 24-minute episode cue
    • Theme for each character
  • ScoreCraft Academy Post Class Action Plan review
  • 20 questions to answer in detail about what concrete things you will do within different timeframes to get you further along in your composing career

PART TWO – Speed Write

  • Review students’ Toy Story cue and DAW Mixing/Mastering workflow
  • LIVE Scoring – Speed & Accuracy – How far have you come?
    • Section vs Section of Orchestra contrast. Write one complete section of the orchestra by itself, not across sections, and write it into another section of the orchestra.

PART ONE – Synthesis

  • “Analog Synths Explained” from Groove 3 video by Scott Dugan
    • Oscillators, Filters, Envelope Generator, Attack/Decay/Sustain/Release ADSR, Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO’s)
  • Favorite analog synth plugins and hardware.

PART TWO – Getting Paid, deliverables, Live Sound Design Session

  • Music Library Business format and payment process, royalties & publishing
  • LIVE Scoring – Sound Design Synthesis – Learn to use an LFO. Write a 20 second Intro to a trailer.
  • Omnisphere’s LFO – How to assign and use LFO’s

PART ONE – Brand Development, director Producer Interviews

  • What is your BRAND? It’s more than just music. It’s your journey. Document your journey, and share it! Do it in a way that will inspire people.
  • What will you bring to a project?
  • Why am I right for the project?
  • Michael interviews each student with the questions above.
  • Important concepts to convey to potential project managers –
    • I’m an expert, not a jerk about it.
    • I have a passion for music.
    • I have a passion for the project.

PART TWO – Personal Development, Score Reductions

  • Conductor’s Score Reductions review
    • Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra score reduction and analysis Indiana Jones (NMK Music)
    • Finlandia score reduction and analysis (NMK Music)
  • Uncommon Sense for Creative People – Whitty-isms
  • Submit “My Strengths and Weaknesses” paragraphs to Michael. Notice how they may have changed since the beginning of the class.

Final Wrap

  • No Zoom – just hanging together.
  • “Alan Silvestri breaks down the composing workflow behind his blockbuster scores” (by Native Instruments) video
  • “Watch this every day and change your life – Denzel Washington Motivational Speech 2023” by AlexKaltsMotivation video
  • Final