Focus on the Strings Course

I am pleased to offer a new course entitled “Focus on the Strings”.
The course includes:
- Four Masterclasses exploring the art and craft of string writing, featuring in-depth analysis of works by Bernard Herrmann, Micah Levy, Steve Reich, John Williams and others.
- Topics: Range and Register • Bowing technique fundamentals • Blending the strings • Natural and artificial harmonics, pizzicato, col legno and position-based bowing (sul ponticello/sul tasto) • Flautando • Divisi • The implementation of aleatoric procedures.
- Personalized Feedback — detailed, personal guidance on your progress throughout the course
- Complimentary Resource — a free copy of my Focus on the Strings ebook
- Remote Access — all sessions are recorded, allowing you to review the material at your own pace if you can't attend live

Tickets

Focus on the Strings Course: $200.00 USD (170.00 EU) ($270.00 CAD)
Please note that the ticket price is listed in Canadian dollars. Participants from the US , or other locales, will pay the correct amount after conversion.

Class Schedule:

Saturday March 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th

Pacific Time: 10:00 - 11:30 AM
Atlantic Time: 2:00 - 3:30 PM
London Time: 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Schedule of Courses:
- There are five courses in my online seminar series:
  - "Focus on The Strings" March 2026 Beg
  - "Orchestration Essentials" May 2026 Int
  - “"From Sketch to Score” June 2026 Int
  - "New Ways to Score to Picture" September 2026 Int
  - "Strengthen your Compositional Skills" November 2026 Int

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About the Instructor:

Dr. Norman Ludwin is a leading specialist in orchestration and film composition. He serves as a faculty member at the UCLA Extension Film Scoring Certificate Program, the Film Scoring Academy of Europe, ThinkSpace Education, and the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya.

His impressive orchestration credits include notable films such as Jurassic World, Inside Out, Star Trek Into Darkness, Super-8, John Carter, and Priest. In addition, Dr. Ludwin has contributed his talent as a double bass player to over 210 films and TV shows.

As an accomplished author, he has written 13 books on orchestration and film composition, covering subjects like "Modern Harmony," "Developing Variation," and "Anthology of Film Music."

Dr. Ludwin has conducted seminars at esteemed institutions worldwide, including the S.Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, Madrid Conservatory of Music, Prague Conservatory of Music, Munich Hochschule, Zurich School of the Arts, and many others. He has also shared his expertise at various locations such as New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto, Chicago, Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, and Washington DC, sponsored by the American Federation of Musicians.

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What Students are Saying:

"I've learned more about orchestration from Norman's courses than any other source. His easy-going teaching style makes learning an enjoyable experience and his knowledge and experience is clearly visible in all of the course teaching material. I highly recommend Norman's courses."
Nick C

"Thanks for the feedback on this one, really helpful!" Innes Y.

"Norman’s class is exceptionally insightful and filled with wisdom that can only be described as gold dust. His teaching is in-depth, engaging, and like any great score, he leads you on a journey that perfectly supports and enhances the material. I can't wait for the sequel!" Robert M.

"Thank you for the course. It was hugely helpful to me! I found the format and the feedback worked extremely well. A 10 out of 10 experience!" Niall M.

"Hey Dr. Norman! I want to thank you so much for all you did to help me reach to this point. I applied all your suggestions and corrected everything. It was a wonderful experience." Pablo S.

"Thanks for offering this, it was a great learning experience!" Brian F.

" Thank you for the classes, I've learned a lot! Your presentations, the class materials and the videos were very informative and helpful! Gyula L.

"Thanks so much for all your help and feedback throughout the class! It’s been a very enjoyable and helpful experience." Tosca L.

"Thank you very much for your thoughtful feedback! I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to my work so carefully." SoYoung H.

"Thanks so much for the course! I learned so much. Looking forward to taking the strings course!" Dason J.

"I’m writing to thank you for the inspiring orchestration class you taught recently. They were the most practical and engaging orchestration lessons I’ve attended. Scoring a scene for the first time was a milestone for me, and your guidance showed me that I can do it—and keep improving. Thank you once more for your dedication and encouragement." Jonathan G.

"Thank you for providing us with this inspiring course. There are lots of new concepts and ideas that will benefit our career for a long time." Kwun W.

"Thank you very much Norman I hear and agree with all of your comments, it is so valuable studying with you!" - Marco D.

Thanks for the great and detailed feedback! Very very helpful as always! Looking forward progressing and learning further! Thank also for the great course and learning experience!"- Dave P.

"Just a note to say thank you for such an amazing Master Class!"-Elizabeth B.

"Thanks again for a very edifying series of classes, I've really enjoyed them and all the knowledge you've been generous enough to share."-Jon N.

"Thank you for the feedback as well as for having me in your class. I’ve learned so much, as always with every lesson from you. The workflow and materials you’ve shared with us were extremely helpful. It changed my approach to orchestration, giving me more confidence in my instrument and color choices."- Amine S.

"Thank you for your constructive and thoughtful comments. It was great attending this class, and also just as challenging as the first one." - Alex L.

"Thank you for your time and for the precious comments." - Alberto M.

"Thank you Norman for this amazing information …..class was wonderful. "- Louis T.

"Thanks for the wonderful feedback! -Debra A.

"Guten Tag Norman, thanks a lot for taking the time to go through my “Tale of the Three Brothers” score in such detail. Your comments were really helpful and motivating — I’ve already started reworking the orchestration." - Regina W.

"I made most of the changes you suggested. I was trying to figure out how to change to the feeling of hopelessness at the end of the cue, your suggestion made that possible, thanks."- Art L.

"I just finished Norman's class, and it was excellent! I hope you continue to host these types of classes. It's very important to pass the skills down to the next generation of artists in this manner. I see Norman Ludwin fulfilling the same important role. He has so much knowledge and experience. Thanks!" - John M.

“I wanted to tell you what a great experience it was to attend Norman Ludwin's orchestration courses. Norman covers a lot of material in quite a bit of depth. He also is able to explain the material very well and his conversational manner is congenial as well as entertaining….” -Mike S.

“I took the online orchestration seminar with Norman Ludwin, and just wanted to thank you and the entire Local 47 staff for organizing and presenting the class. It was an enjoyable time, with a lot of good discussion and ideas, and was well organized and presented by Norman. Thank you!” - Chris R.

“Dr. Ludwin is a terrific teacher... very organized, personable, and knowledgeable. His stories about working in the business were very interesting and insightful. This class has inspired me, it has expanded my horizons of understanding orchestration. Thank you Local 47 for giving this gift of Orchestration classes with Dr. Ludwin.” - Jeffrey S.

Focus on The Strings

Focus on The Strings

Event Info

Hosted By:

Norman Ludwin

Norman Ludwin

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Other Attendees

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