CMC Music Education

Introduction

Photo by Carl McGrath, 2020

Innovative music teaching

Unlock Your Creative Potential with Innovative Composition workshops, dedicated to nurturing your musical creativity without the often arbitrary paywall.

With a background in Commercial Music, CMC Music Education employs a dynamic and hands-on teaching approach to empower learners to compose music that's uniquely their own.

Focusing on freeware and accessible software tools used by industry professional composers and producers such as; Spitfire LABS, Musescore 4 and Decent Sampler, these innovative workshops aim to kick-start creativity and collaborative projects.

''Craig facilitated a 9-week composition program with the young people at Bounce Back.

His engaging approach created a fun learning experience for the young people.

Throughout the program, Craig guided the young people in exploring various composition methods, including sample libraries, live instruments, and samples they created themselves.

His flexibility, accommodation and understanding were evident, contributing to the success of the 9-week program''

Chloe Maguire, Youth Worker

Bounce Back Youth Service

CMC

Music

Education

What we teach

CMC Music Education offer classes in creative composition, to students of all musical levels.

This tuition deviates from standard instrumental lessons, and instead uses software Music Production tools to cover composition concepts, allowing for creativity focused music making without the expense of needing to invest in new instruments and software.

This allows the program to be accessible, and beginner friendly while also providing a tactile and hands on approach to music making.

Lessons are open to students who have prior instrumental tuition, or those who are complete beginners, allowing students of all musical levels an opportunity to write and compose music, create their own musical voice, and have a creative outlet that aligns with their interests.

Classes are designed with collaboration in mind, and facilitate peer to peer learning. This allows learners of mixed musical backgrounds and experience levels to contribute to projects together, fostering collaborative problem solving, confidence building, and adaptability with diverse perspectives and approaches to the creative process in a supportive environment.

CMC

Music

Education

Photo by Brian Culligan, 2023

Why Composition?

By focusing on media composition, it allows learners to tap into how a lot of them naturally digest musical language, through soundtracks, or incidental music in film, videogames etc.

By focusing on the intent or purpose of a piece’s composition, students develop their own ability to tell a story through music.

All music is composition - transferrable concepts such as form, mood, rhythm etc. exist in all areas of music from classical to Acid house.

Studying composition encourages learners to understand how music works, developing a deeper appreciation for musical styles.

Composition also nurtures critical thinking and problem-solving skills as students experiment with harmonies, melodies, textures and rhythms to create original pieces.

It also encourages self-expression and emotional exploration, allowing students to convey their personal stories and ideas through music. Additionally, creating their own music, sound palettes and textures can boost students' confidence and provide a sense of accomplishment, inspiring them to further explore and innovate in their musical journey.

In collaborative projects, students may create music for many uses such as for live performance, music production, sound design or incidental music for film.

Background

CPD Diploma in Professional Musicianship, BIMM Dublin (2016)
CPD Cert in Jazz Improvisation, DIT Conservatory (2016)
BA in Commercial Modern Music, BIMM Dublin (2022)
Postgrad Cert. in Creative & Cultural Entrepreneurship, Trinity College (2023)

Music Tutor Andersonstown Traditional & Contemporary Music School (2018- 2020)
Freelance Musician (2016 - present)

Mission

My mission as an educator is to make music tuition available to students regardless of economic background or any other factors which have historically been a barrier of entry for learners and to foster collaboration and creativity at every level.

CMC

Music

Education

Photo by Brian Culligan, 2023

Workshops & class Content

classes available in:

Creative Composition
Live Arranging
Sound Design
Music Notation
Composing for Strings
Composing for Band
Intro to Film Scoring
instrumental lessons

Music Theory & Analysis
Reharmonization
Music Production
Audio Recording
Sample libraries & Virtual instruments
Advanced composition techniques

Streamlined Workshops

CMC Music Education offer streamlined workshops in key areas, designed to enhance your musical skills efficiently:

Introduction to Composition: This workshop covers the basics of software based music composition and acts as a truncated version of the Introduction to Composition course. Focusing on understanding fundamental concepts, and developing creativity, this workshop gives learners the tools required to start composing their own pieces. Perfect for complete beginners or those looking to expand their knowledge.

Instrument-Specific Composition: Tailored to your instrument of choice, this workshop dives into the same concepts for composing music, through the medium of a familiar instrument. With focus on developing musicianship, arranging skills and highlighting the unique qualities and capabilities of your instrument. Perfect for intermediate players of any instrument.

(can also be offered 1 to 1. Contact for pricing)

Performance Workshops: Focused on enhancing performance skills and getting bands performance ready, this workshop offers practical techniques for improving Live performance, interpreting music, arranging for diverse skill levels and ensemble types, vocal arranging, and delivering captivating performances. Ideal for groups, musicians at all levels seeking to refine their performance abilities.

All workshops are available for 3 or 5 hour bookings. Additional tutors available for Performance workshops.