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Music Composition

Take your music to the next level

Enrol Now

Point Blank Online Open Days - Register Now!

We host regular Open Days for our online school where you can find out more about our courses, attend a free masterclass, and chat to our staff to find out more.

Virtual Open Days - Point Blank Online - Register Today

Find out about our Online School, the courses we offer and how we can help you follow your passion, make better music and build the industry career you want. The event will include a free track deconstruction masterclass.

RSVP here.

Overview

Compositional proficiency is a core skill for contemporary producers and artists, equipping them with the ability to realise their creative ambitions and make more informed production decisions, whilst helping them become professionally competitive. This course will explore the core elements of musical composition: rhythm, harmony, melody, structure, and arrangement. You will develop compositional techniques through practical application of music theory using music software.


This module focuses explicitly on commercial western popular musical styles, genres and their aesthetics. You will have the opportunity to investigate technical and stylistic aspects of these styles and genres, developing their confidence and abilities in composition. You will gain experience in composing original musical elements and arranging these elements into a full composition.

After completing a professional course at Point Blank, you'll gain exclusive discounts and credit towards a range of other courses. To find out more,  contact us and chat to one of our student advisors who can help you further your study with Point Blank.  We are proud to be ahead of the curve in delivering a fantastic student experience whether on campus or online and are happy to include all the exclusive features for students listed  here

Course spaces are limited to ensure every student receives ample 1-2-1 time with their tutors.

Key Info

Duration 3 Months
Available start dates 2023 2024
  • 10 July
  • 2 October
  • 8 January
  • 8 April
  • 8 July
Have questions? Check the FAQ's for quick answers.

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Your Online Learning Experience

As part of your course you will get access to a range of Online Learning features to help you in your studies. We've enhanced our exclusive 1-2-1 sessions in order to provide you with individual time to speak to your lecturers and share your projects. You’ll get advice on your 1-2-1 tutorial exercises, course materials, recap key techniques, gain industry tips, and be able to ask any questions you want. You'll also benefit from our purpose-built Virtual Learning Environment, which allows you to connect with the wider Point Blank community, and study at the time and place that suits you. 

Take a tour of our Online Courses with our Course Advisor Luc Bennette, as he covers some key questions about studying online

Learn more about our 1-2-1 private tutorials with lecturers via Zoom

Expert Lecturers

Bridget Amofah Music Industry

Lead vocalist with Rudimental, played Glastonbury and Jools Holland. Replaced KT Tunstall in Oi Va Voi, also worked with The Nextmen, Basement Jaxx & The Earlies.

Max Heyes Sound Engineering/Mixing

Credits include Paul Weller, Oasis, Primal Scream, Jamiroquai and Massive Attack. Co-produced The Doves #1 album 'The Last Broadcast'. Mixed Primal Scream's 'XTRMNTR'. Helped develop La Roux.

Linton Bennett Music Composition

Linton aka Stepz composes/produces for Dido, Warren G, All Saints, Jamelia & Imogen Heap to name a few. He’s been active in the music industry for 3 decades and signed to Motown in the US.

Ellie Lawson Music Industry

Championed by Ellen Degeneres once she signed to Atlantic Records in the USA, Ellie has had a 5-year sponsorship with Quicksilver, as well as achieving many top-10 Beatport Trance releases.

Julian Peake Intro to Production

Julian has scored global hit records as one half of Stretch & Vern and Reflekt & has written for Kylie Minogue, Little Boots & Dirty Vegas as a Sony/ATV-signed writer.

Nick Hunt Sound Engineering

Producer/Engineer/Sound Designer with over 30 years of experience. Worked with Dave Stewart at The Church. Credits include Gary Barlow, Gene, Warm Jets, Placebo, Boy George, D’Influence amongst many others.

Hear from one of our students

I can recommend the Electronic Music Composition course, which I took myself. It taught me the basics of music theory. - Andre Crom in XLR8R

Fees

Fees Saving over monthly instalments
£745 payment in full £145
£50 reg fee + balance of £765 £75
£50 reg fee + £280 per month
Monthly instalment plans are subject to a nominal fee already included in the price above. See details during the enrolment process.

Discounts

Point Blank students enjoy a range of exclusive discounts including but not limited to:

  • 50% off Ableton Live 11
  • 50% off Native Instruments Komplete 14
  •  
  • 70% off Eventide plugins
  • Over 50% off Roland Cloud
  • 35% off Waves
  • 30% off Spitfire Audio

Global Alumni

Aluna Francis

Aluna Francis is half of AlunaGeorge. She studied production at PB before taking off to chart success with 'You Know You Like It' & No.1 hit 'White Noise' with Disclosure. Check out her awesome video.

Claude VonStroke

Dirtybird boss Claude says: "I took a class with Point Blank in Ableton Live. It was awesome learning bass production!" The bass don was recently voted the No.1 DJ in USA! Watch him review PB above.

Leona Lewis

Everyone knows Leona from X Factor. Before she won it, Leona wowed her fellow students on our Singing Course. "Her talent was obvious" said her instructor, "and her success thoroughly deserved."

Pete Tong

Godfather of Dance Music and long-time friend of Point Blank Pete Tong, founder of BBC Radio 1's Essential Mix and worldwide DJ superstar, learned Native Instruments Maschine with the team here in London.

Goldie

We taught Goldie something he didn't know already - Ableton Live! The legend drops in from time to time & recently invited PB students to a VIP drum recording session at Assault & Battery studios.

Patrick Topping

'The World's Biggest Tech House Producer!' Secured three Beatport #1s: ‘Get Beasty’, ‘Forget’ & ‘Voicemail’. Also owns two DJ Awards & DJ Mag’s ‘Best Tune’. Championed by Pete Tong & Annie Mac.

Madam X

DJ, label head, club impresario. Mixing grime, techno, bass, garage, Madam X is adept at playing huge crowds or 100-cap basements. Hosts shows on Radio 1, Rinse & NTS. She is multi-faceted and unique.

Arjun

With 1,500,000 Facebook followers, Sri-Lankan born Arjun is a South Asian pop superstar. His single ‘I’ll Be Waiting” charted at #1 on iTunes India and spent 30 weeks on the BBC Asian Download Chart.

Spoony

Spoony is a legend in UK dance music having brought garage to the masses in 2000 as part of the Dreem Team. He's since gone on to become a staple on Five Live but proved he's always learning by enrolling at PB!

FAQs

What is My Schedule?

Each module requires your attendance in one weekly masterclass which will be 2 hours long. The masterclasses take place between 7-9pm UK time and will be on the same day each week. The masterclass day will be confirmed a week before the start of each term, but all classes are recorded and archived, so you can watch them back whenever it suits you if you can't attend live. You will also be able to book five 1-2-1 sessions with your lecturer per module per term for additional support - these take place in weeks 2, 4, 6, 8 and 11 of your course.

How do the online courses work?

Studying with Point Blank online is a completely unique experience and unlike any other online course. You are personally guided by a professional producer and provided with regular opportunities to discuss and submit your work to get expert feedback and analysis on your music:

  • Masterclasses: group sessions where the whole class is online with your instructor every week for two hours (recorded for you). Delivered from both the UK and US to accommodate different timezones.
  • Live Tutorials: 1-2-1 tutorials between you and your expert lecturer every two weeks (you can record these yourself on request). Plus additional opportunities to meet 1-2-1 with a range of specialist instructors. You will need at attend at least three of these and submit your module assignment to gain your Certificate of Completion per module.
  • All live interaction is recordable for you to revisit at your leisure along with hours of pre-recorded video and written content.

Is this course suitable for beginners?

Yes. The course caters for students who have little or no prior knowledge. Students with production experience can also greatly benefit from Point Blank's world renowned courses.

What materials do I get on this course?

  • Over 10 hours of high quality videos
  • 10 Live Group Masterclasses
  • 5 Live 1-2-1 Tutorials
  • Comprehensive well written course notes
  • 24/7 access to forum
  • Exclusive audio resources: downloadable projects, channel strips, bespoke plug ins, samples, acapellas and more
  • 2 year access to all of the above
  • Submit your tracks to our record label, Point Blank Recordings, distributed by beatport, iTunes, Juno Download and Amazon

Are there academic entry requirements?

No. There are no academic requirements for this course. This course or programme is practical, and therefore aimed at those who wish to develop their skills to a professional standard.

What equipment do I need to take this course?

  • Web browser: We recommend using Firefox
  • Apple QuickTime - For Mac - For Windows
  • Logic Pro X or Ableton Live 9 or 10 Suite
  • A MIDI keyboard (not essential but recommended)

Mac Users

  • Mac with an Intel Multicore processor
  • Mac OS X v10.7 or later
  • 4 GB of RAM

PC Users

  • PC with 2 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) Multicore processor
  • Windows 7 (with SP1), Windows 8 or Windows 10
  • 4 GB of RAM

What support do I get during this course?

Throughout your course you will be instructored and supported by our expert team of professional music producers. You will be able to contact them via the student forum, raise any issues that you may encounter on your course, and receive a timely response. All of the instructors are highly experienced in making music and/or have in depth knowledge of the music business and will be able to offer valuable advice and guidance. You will also be able to participate in a weekly online masterclass where you can raise specific questions related to the module you are currently taking.

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