Writing For Brass is the second class in the series. It runs six weeks. What you write you record. Each composition you create will also be performed and you will receive critiques both compositionally and from a player's perspective. Registration for the class ends Monday April 7, 2009, with the first composition due April 17th, 2009.

What You'll Accomplish
In this six week class you'll write a two-minute solo work every 10 days that you'll print out in a notation program and equally submit as an MP3 through either sequencing or through a notation program with player. 

Composition 1 - Solo French horn - date due, April 17th
Composition 2 - Solo Trumpet - date due, April 27th
Composition 3 - Solo Trombone - date due, May 11th
Composition 4 - Solo Tuba - date due, May 20th

Steve will review your work both compositionally and from a player's perspective.

What You'll Do
Working with the Professional Mentor and Professional Orchestration Volume 1, you'll study the Instrumentation Notes for each instrument. You'll then transpose and reduce to 16-stave sketch score, each full page/full score excerpt for the Low, Medium, High and Very High Registers. 

Next, you're given a specific literary work on which you'll base a composition to be a minimum of two-minutes in length. Two-minutes is the daily standard for film scoring. Here, you'll have 10 days to do what a seasoned professional must accomplish in a day, which includes submitting a recording of your work. 

The composition is your test. 

Steve will then either play the composition himself or have someone perform it to determine its playability. You'll receive critiques based on how well the composition reflects the literary work and its playability. 

How You'll Communicate
You'll communicate with Steve by phone, e-mail and through the Professional Orchestration forum at www.alexanderuniversity.com. Questions, comments and discussions are handled at the forum, which is password protected. You'll coordinate a mutually agreed time to confer by phone discussing your composition.

Materials Needed
1. The Professional Orchestration Basic Study Package or, but the Professional Orchestration Master Study Package is preferred. If you already have Professional Orchestration, Vol. 1, you can order the audio package eparately. 

2. Either a sequencing program with notional capabilities or a notation program. If you use the notation feature in a sequencing program, you must PDF the score and submit it by e-mail. 

3. A sample library with solo French horn, Trumpet, Trombone and Tuba. 

Last Day for Registration: Monday April 7th, 2009. Class info will be sent out on Monday, April 7th, 2009.

Questions? Please write sales@truespec.com