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Using music to enhance the emotions of a story is the number one responsibility of all media composers. Whether composing a character theme or scoring an action sequence, the success of your score will depend on whether or not you get the audience to feel the right emotions!
In this course, you’ll learn all the skills necessary to ensure that your emotional cues never fall flat. You’ll learn the psychology behind how and why music is able to portray emotions so effectively, as well as specific strategies for planning and composing music that can portray or enhance any emotion that your story calls for!
About Stephen
the "tabletop composer"
Stephen is a professional media composer and trained therapist.
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In 2019 he graduated from the University of Michigan with a Masters Degree in Social work and a concentration in music composition.
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Stephen has scored dozens of projects ranging form short films to live stage productions in New York, and has worked with hundreds of students from all over the globe. His experience teaching, background in psych, and love of music all make him particularly passionate about helping composers learn how to tell their stories with original and emotional music.
Emotions & Music Roadmap
This course is split into 6 modules
How Music Portrays Emotions
Learn the theory behind how and why music is able to portray emotions, including the four fundamental moods of music. Discover what key elements are needed in your music to help effectively enhance and portray any emotion you need, and develop the foundation needed for the rest of the course.
Happy Emotions & Adapting Themes
Learn how small tweaks to your music's energy and valence impact the sound of happiness and other high energy/bright emotions. Also learn how to adapt character themes to portray multiple different emotions throughout a film.
Sad Emotions & Transitions
Learn how small tweaks to your music's energy and valence impact the sound of sadness and other low energy/dark emotions. Also learn how to gradually transition a theme through multiple different emotions within a single scene.
Angry Emotions & Gesture
Learn how small tweaks to your music's energy and valence can have a big impact on Anger and other high energy/dark emotions. Also learn how to create effective musical gestures to add nuance and detail to your emotional pieces!
Calm Emotions & Background Textures
Learn how tweaks to your music's energy and valence can have a big impact on calmness and other low energy/bright emotions. Also learn tools and strategies for composing ambient textures that fit perfectly in the background of any scene!
Soundtrack Planning & Applying What You've Learned
Get a quick summary of everything you've learned as well as simple but useful strategies for applying it all when writing your next soundtrack!
Course Curriculum
Modules
1. Course Introduction
2. How Music Portrays Emotions
3. How We Understand Mood
4. Describing Emotions in Terms of Energy + Valence
5. Manipulating Energy in Music (Part 1)
6. Manipulating Energy in Music (Part 2)
7. Final Thoughts on Manipulating Energy
8. Manipulating Musical Valence
9. Negative Valences in Music
10. Positive Valences in Music
11. Neutral Valences in Music
12. Final Notes on Valence Strategies
13. Putting Everything Together
14. Weekly Assignment.
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Best Suited For
Requirements
This course is best suited for composers who feel confident in writing their own music but want to learn more about capturing specific emotions with their music. This is NOT a composing basics course! While we will cover some music theory, every student is expected to feel confident in their ability to write an 8-bar melody & chord progression in the genre of their choice.
- I recommend a workstation (PC or MAC), speakers or headphones, and a DAW or notation software of your choice.
- Basic understanding of your DAW of choice
- Basic understanding of music theory and composition
- Internet access
Frequently Asked Questions
01
How do the private lessons work?
Shortly after enrolling in the course, you will receive an email with instructions on how to schedule your first lesson. Each lesson lasts for one-hour and is recorded, so you can re-watch and study the material we cover as many times as you'd like. Each student has 90 days (from the time of purchase) to schedule each of their lessons. Extensions are available on a case-by-case scenario.
02
Are the Assignments Graded?
None of the assignments are mandatory or graded. However, they're highly recommended. If you submit the assignments in time for your lessons, I can guarantee 1-2 pages of written feedback on your music! Assignments can also be shared to the class discord channel, where you can receive encouragement and feedback from your fellow students.
03
I Heard the Class is Getting Expanded. Will I Maintain Access to the New Class?
Yes! I am currently working on a massive overhaul of the class material. The plan is to expand the class to cover many more topics and focus on teaching the skills necessary for telling stories with music and composing large scale soundtracks. (Taking inspiration from the strategies employed by composers like Howard Shore for his soundtracks to the Lord of the Rings trilogy). I personally don't believe in paying twice for the same thing, so all former students will receive free access to the new course, once it is available.
04
I don't know a lot about music theory/orchestration. Can I still take this course?
Of Course! The only requirement is that you feel confident in your ability to compose a short melody and chord progression in the style of your choice. Students in the class have worked with everything ranging from solo piano, to orchestral music, and even 8-bit video game music.
05
Is there a time limit to this class?
Not at all! The course is split into 6 modules and set up in a "study at your own pace" format. Although my official recommendation is to study one module per week.
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Are there Payment Plans Available?
Yes, there are. When Enrolling, you can choose to make the full payment upfront or split the cost into 2-3 equal payments.
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