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Getting Started with Composition: Book

$10.99 USD
$10.99 USD
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Getting Started with Composition Cover Image
Getting Started with Composition: Book

Getting Started with Composition: Book

By Nicholas Keyworth

Item: 12-057152236X
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Description
The Getting Started series is step-by-step guides introducing key skills to the beginner musician and in turn enables teachers to cover all aspects of music in a time-limited lesson. Getting Started with Composition is an enjoyable and practical introduction to composition for beginner instrumentalists and singers. Have fun with simple improvising and notation, explore basic structures and forms, and you'll soon be writing your own musical story and TV theme tune! Designed to be used alongside instrumental/singing lessons, this book is packed with activities to do at home as part of practice time.

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Additional Details
Series: Faber Edition: Trinity Step-by-Step Series
Publisher: Faber Music
Page Count: 24
ISBN10: 0-571-52236-X
ISBN13: 978-0-571-52236-1
UPC: 9780571522361
SKU: 12-057152236X

More about this title

About the Author: Nicholas Keyworth

Nicholas Keyworth is a composer and music educator whose work centers on making composition accessible to young musicians. His approach treats composition not as an elite skill but as a natural extension of instrumental study, embedded within the regular lesson structure where it belongs.

Why we love this

This book treats composition as a playground rather than a theory exercise. Students move from improvisation into notation into actual musical forms without the typical separation between "playing music" and "making music," and the home practice activities mean composition work doesn't add prep time to your lesson load.

What to expect

Approachable and encouraging. The progression from simple improvising to actual composition feels natural rather than intimidating, and the promise of writing TV theme tunes and personal musical stories gives students immediate reason to care about what they're learning.

Who it's for

Beginning instrumentalists and singers in private lessons or early ensemble settings who are ready to move beyond reproducing written notes. Works best with students ages 8-14 who need structured scaffolding but have developed basic reading and playing skills.

How to use it

Integrate this into private lesson curricula as a parallel track to technical studies, assigning the home activities as part of regular practice. The 24-page length fits neatly into a semester of focused composition work without overwhelming other lesson content.

Skills your students will build

  • Creating melodies using improvisation as a starting point
  • Understanding and notating basic musical forms (verse-chorus, ABA)
  • Translating melodic ideas into staff notation
  • Conceptualizing multi-section structures (building TV themes, simple songs)
  • Developing ownership over their own musical voice

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