Adult Composition | Creativity and Craft

Close-up of printed sheet music with musical notes

Discover the craft of composing—from an idea's earliest spark through structure, harmony, and color—while working alongside soloists and small ensembles. Your finished piece gets a live performance by professional musicians.

When: 

When: Fall and Spring Sessions

Ages: 

Ages 18 & older (open to those who have completed at least one year of college or have been out of high school for 1+ years)

Tuition:

Fall: $2685 one-time payment or 4 monthly installments of $671.25 + $35 registration fee
Status: Fall registration is open!

Explore Your Options

Allan Crossman and Matthew Cmiel, Program Directors

Music Composition is one of the most rewarding forms of artistic activity and expression. This course serves as a guide to developing new music from the earliest ideas, cultivating those seeds into a work, and collaborating with soloists and small groups – all building on the experience and interests of the participants.

Creativity and Craft
Creating material and sketching, Melody/accompaniment, Structure/form, Musical color/timbre, Harmony, Rhythm and Dance.

Come be creative and share your work with others! Join a vibrant community of musically inclined people, explore the process of composing, and share your work with performances by local professional musicians. Each session culminates in a live performance of student works by professional musicians.

Thursdays | 7 – 8:30pm

Fall and Spring sessions
13 and 19 workshops per session + readings and a final recital tbd
Individual meetings with faculty composers (optional)

Fall Series | 13 sessions $2685 | September 17, 2026 to December 17, 2026 (no classes week of November 23-29)

Spring Series | 19 sessions $3885 | January 21, 2027 to June 3, 2027 (no classes week of March 29-April 4)

Email communityed@crowden.org if you have any questions.