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Composers Forum |
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Question #4 - Are you self-taught, or did you study with composition teachers? If the latter, which teachers helped you develop as a composer, and in what ways? MSB - M. Susan Brown; SH - Steve Hahn; TK - Tim Krueger; TS - Terry Schlenker |
| MSB - Originally, I was self-taught. I gradually had opportunities to study or work with several composers and composition teachers: Normand Lockwood, Leo Nestor, Charles Callahan, David Conte, Gerald Near, Richard Wayne Dirksen. The main message they all conveyed was to study and know the craft and, above all, to be true to myself. They were all encouragers, since they all knew how difficult it is to write music. The second most important message, probably from Normand, was to be friends with the eraser. SH - I never studied composition formally. I did a fair amount of composing in my undergraduate theory classes, where I wrote string quartets, woodwind quintets, brass quartets, and a variety of other music. Most of my compositional technique has developed as a combination of the influences mentioned in the previous question and what I learned in theory classes. TK - I am mostly self-taught. I never took a composition class. I did take a 16th century counterpoint class, however, which taught me things about voice leading. TS - I consider myself primarily self-taught. I studied composition for a short time with an organist at the University of North Dakota, Robert Wharton. Even though he was not primarily a composer, he was exceptionally thoughtful and helpful. Unfortunately, my experience with my composition teacher in graduate school was not positive. I studied at a time when the avant-garde was embraced. My music was considered much too conservative. Any music that was clearly not blazing a new path was considered pointless. I nearly left composition to study other area of music. |