Strengthen your Compositional Skills

What to Expect:

This class is all about the art of composition.
We'll be working on just one piece all the way through the course.
Each class, I’ll introduce different techniques and ways to approach composing.
- Class 1: Writing an effective melody and adding harmony.
- Class 2: Learning how to develop variations of your material — a key skill.
- Class 3 & 4: Looking at four different composers approaches to harmony, structure, rhythm, orchestration, and motivic use and applying those ideas to your own work.
- Class 5: Sharing what you've created with the class!
I’ll give you detailed, personalized feedback on your progress.
A complimentary copy of my Developing Variation ebook.
All classes will be recorded, so if you can’t make it live, you can catch up later.

Class Schedule:

Saturdays (Bi- weekly)

Pacific Time: 10:00 - 11:30 AM
Atlantic Time: 2:00 - 3:30 PM
London Time: 6:00 - 7:30 PM

Introduction and composing a melody and harmony - January 3rd
How to develop your material –January 17th
Applying composer's techniques I: Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade and Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring – January 31st
Applying composer's techniques II: Claude Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun and John Adam's Short Ride in a Fast Machine – February 14th
Sharing your work -Participants play their finished composition in class–February 21st

Pricing Information

CAD: $250
USD: $182
EUR: €159

Please note that the event price is listed as CAD$250, which is in Canadian dollars. Participants from the US , or other locales, will pay the correct amount after conversion.

Enrollment is limited so sign up now. Any questions, feel free to email me: lmus@earthlink.net

Information on these Courses:

There are three courses in my online seminar series: "Orchestration Essentials," scheduled for May 2026, and "New Ways to Score to Picture," taking place in September 2026.

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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 European Academy of Film Composition, and ThinkSpace Education.

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 Local Musicians.

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What Students are Saying:

"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.

"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 a lot Norman for the feedback! Looking forward working further, feels great learning new things every class and task!"- 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.

Strengthen your Compositional Skills Course

Strengthen your Compositional Skills Course

Event Info

Hosted By:

Norman Ludwin

Norman Ludwin

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