MASTER COURSE CURRICULUM

Your Structured Path to Professional Musical Mastery based on "3 hr./week"

LEVEL 1: PIANO & SOLFEGGIO

This stage establishes fundamental piano proficiency and a rigorous understanding of basic music theory. It provides the bedrock for all future musical endeavors.

  • Keyboard familiarity
  • Note reading
  • Basic rhythm
  • Elementary harmony concepts
  • Acquisition of a basic piano/keyboard repertoire in renaissance, baroque, classic and romantic styles.

LEVEL 2: EARTRAINING & TONSATZ ON PIANO

This level integrates active eartraining with practical Tonsatz (chorale harmonization) on the piano. It bridges theoretical knowledge with aural comprehension and voice-leading principles.

  • Chord identification by ear
  • Harmonic dictation
  • Functional harmony application
  • Basic voice leading
  • Partimento
  • Through-Bass
  • Harmonisation of Melodies
  • Rudimentary improvisation
  • Acquisition of easy keyboard repertoire in late-romantic, atonal, impressionist, and jazz styles.

LEVEL 3: COUNTERPOINT, SCORE READING & ORCHESTRATION

This stage focuses on advanced score reading techniques and the art of orchestration. It provides understanding of how to effectively write for and combine various instruments while mastering the intricate relationships between independent melodic lines.

  • Advanced score analysis (What makes this music beautiful? How was this created? How can I do this?)
  • Instrumental ranges & characteristics
  • Orchestral voicing
  • Timbral blending
  • Advanced melodic and textural studies

LEVEL 4: IMPROVISATION, MIDI MOCKUP & FILM SCORING PRAXIS

This level integrates improvisation on keyboard instruments with professional MIDI mockup in a DAW.

A solid mockup and workflow theory is the essential complement to the craftmanship you acquired that will lead to the sophisticated compositions that meet at the same time high artistical standards and film/game industry standards at the same time.

  • Advanced improvisation
  • Realistic MIDI orchestration
  • Professional mixing for mockups

LEVEL 5: FILM SCORING THEORY, ANALYSIS & PHILOSOPHY FOR COMPOSERS

This advanced level delves into the critical analysis of complex scores and the philosophical underpinnings of music. It cultivates a deeper intellectual and artistic understanding essential for profound compositional insight and mature musical thought.

  • Advanced score analysis (beyond basic reading)
  • Critical listening & interpretation
  • Philosophical concepts in music
  • Historical & aesthetic contexts of composition

This curriculum is an overview based on the most essential requisites between disciplines. It is a starting point of reference for the student, and suffers adaptations during the process. For example: it is ideal that Level 1 includes Eartraining. However, assuming time or financial constraints, focus on piano + basic theory and start eartraining as soon as possible. Basic theory is a condition to understand some eartraining exercises. It is not a fixed "theory of learning composition," but it is a framework very close to it, designed for practical and individualized musical development.

The curriculum is based on 3 hours weekly. Ideally, practical disciplines like sight-reading on piano and Tonsatz on piano can be integrated until the latest stages. One lesson with a systematic approach provides massive benefit to skills. The exact arrangement of extra hours next to the addition of new disciplines are discussed on a case-by-case basis.

Get your map out of musical confusion! - Piranesi, 1756