LESSONS
Isaac Davanzo offers composition lessons and mentoring for every skill level, from those who have never written a note, to those working on their next big work.
Whatever your skill level, take your musical craft to the next level with:
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Music theory tutoring and ear training, to set a traditional foundation of knowledge.
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Individualized discussion and analysis of your work, helping you to bring out your own compositional voice.
LESSON FORMAT
In our composition lessons, you will send me your current work at least 24 hours before our scheduled meeting time. I will listen to and analyze the work as fully as I can to provide you with the best advice for your development, including:
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Developing a workflow and toolset that works for you.
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Analyzing structure and usage of musical material.
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Tips for effective orchestration, for any ensemble.
We will have an hour to discuss the vision of your piece, workshop sections, talk about relevant reference material, and brainstorming new ways to approach your work.
My main goal as an instructor is to develop your musical voice. I will not ask you to learn my own, or adopt another's. While it is extremely useful to study composers you enjoy and borrow their devices, composition is a highly personal process, and as my former instructor, Dr. Scott McAllister, so wonderfully put it:
"There is no one in this world like you."
TRIAL LESSONS
All first-time students can sign up for a free 30-minute lesson where I show you the process of how our lessons will look.
"What if I've never written anything before?"
If it is your first time composing, or have only written very little, I will introduce you to some basic foundational concepts and get you started on writing your first piece! We'll talk about the basics of phrase structure, a short introduction to harmony, and how to write a good melody.
"I have a piece I'm already working on."
If you already have something in progress, I will analyze your work in the same way I would for a full lesson. You will get a sample of what our lessons will be like, and you can decide if you would like to continue private instruction.
Q&A
"How long are lessons? How are they given?"
Our lessons will be one hour in length, given over a virtual video call. One hour is the perfect amount of time to discuss what you've been working on in the piece, where you plan to take it, any roadblocks you've been encountering, and brainstorming ideas for new sections or novel approaches. A video camera is recommended for ease and clarity of communication, but is not strictly necessary.
"How many pieces can I bring to our lesson?"
While you can send over as many pieces as you'd like, the discussion time will be split across the hour, divided up according to how much each piece needs discussing. For larger or multi-movement works, I recommend only sending the one piece. For smaller pieces, up to three would work best within our time frame.
"How much do lessons cost?"
I aim to keep my lessons affordable, while also being realistic for the time and effort invested on my end. When you send me your work in advance of our lesson, you are having someone who has spent over 11 years composing and performing professionally analyze it. I believe one of my biggest strengths as a composition teacher is also having a strong background in performance. I know how ensembles and musicians react to music, and how you can get the most from each rehearsal depending on your compositional choices.
With all of that said, our lessons will be $40 for each session.
SCHEDULING
Interested? Reach out via the contact form below and let's get a trial lesson scheduled!
I look forward to guiding you towards the next step of your compositional development.