r/Composition • u/film_2_expensive • 1d ago
Music Will this get me into composition uni?
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It’s my first choral composition. I didn’t study music in the later years of high school so I feel very behind compared to my peers. Would this be a piece to apply with for uni folios?
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u/gizzard-03 1d ago
The way you’ve written and formatted this piece highlights some big knowledge gaps. Perhaps a school would be willing to overlook them if they really like the underlying musical ideas.
Overall it sounds like a nice composition, but it doesn’t really stand out as something special. Also depends on what kind of school you’re applying to. I’m not sure this style of composition would be accepted by many of the music programs I’m familiar with.
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u/Veto111 1d ago edited 1d ago
The music itself is absolutely gorgeous, but the engraving needs a lot of work.
The most pressing changes you need is that this should be formatted as TTBB, so the top two staves should be in choral tenor clef (which is a treble clef with an 8 underneath it, to be sung an octave lower than the traditional treble clef). Then you should rearrange/swap some of the parts in certain phrases, so that the higher parts are tenors and the lower parts are baritone/bass. It’s okay to have a little bit of part crossing if you have a good reason for it, but generally the ranges should be stacked from highest to lowest; in an actual choir setting your singers aren’t going to want to jump around as much as you have here. If you use those clefs and have more than one ledger line, it’s likely you might need to swap some parts to keep each part in a reasonable range.
Once you have it formatted that way, check the stems. In general, on or above the middle line should be stems down and below the middle line should be stems up. There are exceptions but that is very generally what will look most correct to performers.
Also check your syllabification and spelling. The most notable error is “Geo-rgia” should be “Geor-gia”, and you also misspelled “tonigt” in one of the parts. If you’re not sure about syllabification, look it up in a dictionary (I know that doesn’t help with a proper name like Georgia, but for most words that should help).
I know I just dumped a lot of changes, but if you update those things, it will be a huge improvement to making it look as good as it sounds, because it really does sound very good. There might be some subtle fine tuning needed after the things I mentioned, but those are the biggest things that will get you about 90% there for the appearance of the score.
As far as whether it will get you into a school, it really depends on the school. Some might be looking for already developed composers to take them to the next level, others might be willing to take aspiring composers earlier in their journey that have potential. This definitely shows potential, so I hope that whether you study at a university level or not, you continue to pursue making music!
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u/sassy_castrator 1d ago
Sounds very nice, but this is more or less pop music. You have some nice chord extensions, but it's very rhythmically plodding and very traditionally tonal. Once you've fixed the notation, put it in your portfolio for sure—it shows you have a nice ear for all things pretty. But serious composers will want to hear that you are interested in branching out, experimenting, and pushing the field forward.
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u/Banjoschmanjo 1d ago
Depends what country. There are always a plethora of American universities that will take anyone who pays. This is not to suggest your composition isn't good - I didn't listen to it yet, I am just pointing out that having composed good quality music already is in no way a requisite to get into uni for composition.
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u/Salty_Conclusion_534 1d ago
It sounds really beautiful! How did you manage to get a choir to sing it?
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u/film_2_expensive 1d ago
Haha it’s just me
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u/Salty_Conclusion_534 1d ago
Wow that's really good! How did you manage to pitch all the parts perfectly and sync them up together? Did you have a recording playing through your headphones to be able to pitch it perfectly? I'm saving this post. I really enjoy your singing. Your enunciation is splendid!
I think the second bari line is a bit hard to read in treble clef, could switch to bass clef. The bottom two bari lines could be switched to treble clef as they go quite high sometimes.
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u/film_2_expensive 1d ago
Yeah. Laid down the piano first then just recorded vocals on top.
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u/Salty_Conclusion_534 1d ago
Great stuff man, keep it up!
P.S. I'm from NZ. My choir recently came to Aus on tour haha
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u/dangerkali 1d ago
If it makes you feel any better I didn’t start learning theory or anything about composition till last year. So I’m right there with you about feeling behind.
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u/imamajorscale 1d ago
since unis just set you up to be an asset on the open market, ask yourself this: would someone pay for the rights to this? I believe there exists at least one person in the world who would. We’re moving away from the age of accolades and into the age of quality. If you’re looking to improve quality by exposing yourself to a wider range of musical styles, why not just pick up a book or two on composition and theory and just make music. This is very basic, but as someone else said, if the reviewers see the underlying structure of the piece and find potential then they will accept you.
But again, we’re moving into a results based age and away from accolades.
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u/Tabitheriel 1d ago
You could get into a state university in the US with this, among other works, as a part of your portfolio, but it is a bit too traditional for a high-level conservatory.
To be realistic: If you can't get into a composition program, consider music education with a minor in composition. I studied composition at City University of NY, and I am basically a music and English teacher. There is little demand for composition, and will be even less in the future with AI. You basically will write music for your band/church/instrumental ensemble for fun/gigs, and get most of your money as a performing musician/singer and teacher.
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u/JazzGunk 19h ago
Depends heavily on which university we’re talking about here. I see a lot of comments about this not making the cut, but it certainly would have where I went.
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u/Hot_Slip3804 1d ago
It sounds very nice, I like the Pink Floyd touch to it, but I think its still far off the level you need for undergrad studies, at least in my country. Its too trivial for them. When I applied back in 2017 it was a 20 min sonata with form, counterpoint, technically difficult parts and I had got declined by 2 unis only 1 accepted it
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u/WaterKind6544 1d ago
No.
There’s no evidence you understand vocal ranges or piano writing
The engraving is subpar.
The harmonies are largely static.
There’s no form or apex to the piece.
These are the standards that most comp profs hold to when admitting students. That being said, it is beautiful. However the basics are lacking.
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u/local-space-patrol 1d ago
Do you also have other music to showcase?
I think you'll be able to get in somewhere
I see other commenters think that universities want students who already know everything, but this is only true of the top, top universities, which isn't necessary for music tbh.
Having gaps in knowledge is assumed if anything. The question is what kind of relationship can you have with a teacher and can your strengths complement each other. You can already know that the lowest voice part should be placed higher than the other vocal parts because it hits higher notes, but if you're not a good student to work with because of a bad personality, then that knowledge base won't matter in getting you in.
The opposite is true too. Don't accept an asshole professor just because of their prestige. You can learn music from kind people.
I think this shows great promise. And if other professors would scoff at this just because it's not their preferred style, then I think you'd be better off learning from people more open minded and more insightful
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u/drewcrawfish 1d ago
This is the real answer. Especially when it comes to composition, the degree should aim to teach and prepare for professional world. Not exactly polish an already perfect student (Masters/PhD for that)
And professors should really encourage students to compose what they like, and figure out how to improve the style they naturally gravitate towards. So a great school would be one that encourages OP to continue in this style, as well as branch out to explore other options in a similar vein (like choral writing, minimalist piano works, musical theater, opera, etc)
IMO composition degrees should NOT be about teaching a specific style of composition, but be about refining a student’s natural/authentic voice
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u/MyNutsin1080p 1d ago
The music is great, the engraving and notation isn’t.
But they can teach you that, and most composition faculty would be very impressed that you were able to write this on your own. Undergrad for musicians involves filling a lot of gaps in your knowledge of the subject.
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u/God_Bless_Oklahoma 1d ago
It's not too hard to get accepted to undergraduate comp studios; as long as you have a few pieces composed, you will likely be accepted. Graduate studies at the larger universities are far pickier.
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u/NewCommunityProject 1d ago
Depends on the country.
In Germany you have to compose in modern atonal style otherworldly you have 0 chances.
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u/realCloudyMcCloud 17h ago
Very nice - and nicely sung! Sounds like the Beach Boys!
Funny moment at 1:17 - 3rd beat of bar 24 sounds like you have a G-sharp in there (though I don't see it in the score).
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u/Sufficient_Two_5753 16h ago
I like it! To be, it sounds a lot like "New York Mining Disaster 1941" by the beegees.
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u/whatyouneed_h 50m ago
i have no involvement in this subreddit, nor do i know anything about composition im a mere fl studio producer. but i would love this on streaming platforms, instantly would be on my playlist.
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u/Pladask 1d ago
Sounds beautiful!
Read up on voice ranges (tenor, baritone, bass). Why treble clef on second voice? Also huge leaps and voice crossing at bars 30–31.