MUSIC
Works for Concert Band | Works for Orchestra | Works for Choir | Works for Woodwinds | Works for Brass | Works for Percussion | Works for Strings
BOOKS
Composition Toolbox: Practical Ideas to Inspire
I’ve been in your shoes. Staring down a blank piece of manuscript paper, deadline approaching, and no idea how to proceed. As a kind of “insurance policy” against these periodic dry spells, I began to collect different ideas when they came to me and socking them away. (Some have actually turned into my more successful pieces!) That collection of ideas grew over the years into this book. Some of these “prompts” describe a general spirit or direction of a potential piece; others are more prescriptive. The point is to get that pen moving again! Composers of all backgrounds will find something stimulating in these pages!
Writing and Living in the Real World: Advice for Young Composers
The world doesn’t make it easy to be a composer, all the more so if you’re young and inexperienced. Unfortunately, all too often composers are sent out into the world armed with plenty of academic and artistic knowledge, but not much practical skill to present their work and find their niche. This book begins to remedy that problem by providing young composers with sage, tested advice on what it means to be a composer in today’s world and how to “make it.”
Brandon Nelson 
86 comments