This roadmap guides not only how I teach my students, but also my personal development as a composer. It can also be adapted to other creative fields.
Musical Foundations
- Listen to a variety of music
- If possible, take advantage of local music opportunities. Guided by teachers, learn to play a variety of music
- Develop personal musical preferences
- If possible, participate in a community of peers who enjoy listening to, sharing, and talking about their favorite music
Learning to Recreate and Create
- Using an instrument (voice, piano, DAW, etc.), learn to recreate your favorite music (by ear, from chords, Western notation, etc.)
- Improvise on that instrument, using the music you learned to recreate as a foundation for exploration
- Over time, as you recreate more music and gain experience improvising, you will develop a unique musical voice shaped by your influences
Lifelong Learning
- Accumulate, and draw inspiration from, diverse experiences beyond music
- Expand the types of music you can create by listening to new music, recreating what you love, and improvising
- Accelerate your ability to recreate and improvise by expanding your knowledge of music theory (scales, chords, progressions, and beyond)
- Supercharge your learning by participating in communities of musicians and collaborating with others
- Improve your productivity by developing systems to capture, develop, and share your creations
Where are you on this roadmap? What are your strengths? Where are your biggest opportunities for growth? What about your students?
Patrick Blim-Hockberger 