The goal of the program is to assist students in the acquisition of skills and perspective for the purpose of creating music. Unlike many of the other programs at the Faculty, the composition program does not prepare individuals for a distinct “career path”, as there is no “job” of composer. Each composer must make his or her own path. However, the skills and knowledge provided in the program have many applications. While many graduates have gone on to work as composers, many have taken their training and used it in other ways. Many have gone on to become successful commercial musicians, sound designers, producers, orchestrators, editors, and a variety of other occupations which require artistic vision and skill. The program also provides the necessary background for admission into graduate school, which can prepare a student for a career in academia.
The composition program is designed to accommodate students who have already demonstrated significant commitment to the creation of music in a style based upon traditional Western Art Music procedures. Currently, the Faculty of Music offers limited training in popular music composition, film scoring, or commercial styles. While there are some courses offered in these areas, the primary focus of the composition program is the training of composers to work in traditional art music forms.
At the end of the Common Year, students applying to the Composition Major/Minor program will be required to have an interview with a committee of the Composition Division. The candidates will be required to demonstrate achievement in composition, in order to be admitted into either of the programs. The candidate will bring their portfolio of compositions to the interview. A successful portfolio will contain several works, written for a variety of ensembles. Popular and commercial music should not appear in the portfolio, except as an addendum. A successful portfolio will contain music which demonstrates the candidate's willingness to explore and be challenged. It will also demonstrate recent and substantial activity; accurate notation is expected. Grades in Theory courses, CMU112H1, and CMU113H1 will be taken into consideration. Participation in the events and activities of the Composition Division during the current academic year will be taken into consideration. Candidates will be expected to have some knowledge of repertoire up to and including the year of application to the program. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate some insight into the music they have listened to or performed, beyond basic information.
Students interested in applying are strongly encouraged to make an appointment with a composition faculty member, instructor of CMU112H1 or CMU113H1, or the Coordinator of the Division to discuss their portfolios early in the second semester. Admission into the Composition program is highly competitive, and is based on demonstrable achievement in Composition.
| Courses | Credits per year | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| HMU111H1 - Introduction to Music & Society | 0.5 | | | |
| HMU126H1 - Historical Survey II | 0.5 | | | |
| HMU225H1 - Historical Survey I | | 0.5 | | |
| HMU3**H1 - Music History & Culture Elective | | 0.5 + | | |
| MMU100H1 - Lives in Music | cr | | | |
| 0.5 | 0.5 | (0.5)** | (0.5)** | |
| 0.67 | 0.67 | (0.67)** | (0.67)** | |
| 1.0 | 1.0 | | | |
| 0.67 | 0.33 | | | |
| 0.33 | | | | |
| 0.5++ | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | |
| DMU111H1 - Introduction to Computer Applications in Music+++ | | 0.5 | | |
| 1.0 | | | | |
| CMU314Y1 - Orchestration | | | 1.0 | |
| | | 1.0 | | |
| PMU380Y1 - Conducting | | | | 0.67 |
| Music Electives (0.67-1.17 credits total) | | | | 0.67-1.17++ |
| Breadth Electives (4.0 credits; minimum of 3.0 credits from Arts & Science) | | 0.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| Genre/Style requirement - 0.5 credit within the above requirements from approved list of courses | | | | |
| GRAND TOTAL: 20.0 | 5.17-5.67++ | 5.5 | 4.5 | 4.33-4.83 |
Composition Minor Program (5.0 credits)
CMU112H1/ CMU113H1 Introduction to Composition 1.0
CMU211Y1/ CMU311Y1 Composition (Basic Music courses; cannot be dropped) 2.0
TMU316H1/ TMU317H1 Counterpoint 1.0
CMU314Y1 Orchestration*** 1.0