Teen Composition Group Class
June 13-July 25, 2026 (no class July 4) – Saturdays, 10:00am-12:00pm
Age: 12-18
Recommended Level: Late Beginner-Intermediate
Price: $150
Program Details
Does your teenager want to be a composer or songwriter? This 6-week class is all about teaching teens how to write their own music! Students will participate in guided composing as they learn to manipulate melodies, harmonies, rhythm, dynamics, articulation, and form to tell stories and elicit emotion through their music. Projects completed in this course include ten short, targeted composition activities and one full-length original composition.
- Week 1: Introduction to composing, writing for contrasting moods
- Week 2: Developing a melody using repetition and variation (motifs and sequences, call and response)
- Week 3: Adding harmony – Left hand accompaniment patterns, chord progressions
- Week 4: Rhythm and meter, using rhythm to reinforce sound and mood
- Week 5: Musical form and cadences
- Week 6: Completing full-length composition
Minimum class size is 3; maximum class size is limited to the number of available keyboards. If students have their own keyboard they would like to bring, more spots may be opened up for this group.
This class may be taken in place of or in addition to private lessons during June and July.
Skills Needed
- Familiarity with basic rhythms
- Familiarity with tempo and dynamics
- Familiarity with basic chords and basic LH accompaniment
- Confidence playing hands together
- Confidence reading notes on the staff
Composition Cut-and-Paste
Level 1
June 12th-July 24th, 2026 (no class July 3) – Fridays, 9:30-10:30am
Age: 7+
Level: Late Primer-Level 1
Price: $90
Program Details
Composition Cut-and-Paste is a group class designed to combine music and crafts in a fun and creative introduction to composition! Students are given multiple musical options to choose from, which they then get to cut out and paste into their own original compositions. Along the way, students will be reading, writing, playing, and more while learning valuable music theory tailored to their level. Each student will be supplied with a personal workbook and one-on-one guidance to help them through each step of composing their pieces.
Projects completed in this course:
- Workbook 1: Students will write a 16-measure song with original lyrics. In this workbook, students will be choosing their right-hand melodies cut-and-paste style over a provided left-hand accompaniment.
- Workbook 2: Students will write a 12-measure song. In this workbook, students will choose both the right-hand and left-hand parts, working one measure at a time to create their song.
Minimum class size is 3; maximum class size is limited to the number of available keyboards. If students have their own keyboard they would like to bring, more spots may be opened up for this group.
This class may be taken in place of or in addition to private lessons during June and July.
Skills Needed
- Familiarity with the grand staff
- Experience reading the right- and left-hand C pentascales (C, D, E, F, G) on the staff
- Experience playing hands together
Joyful Noise Piano Studio 