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Level Up Your Game

With Private Lessons

Composing is a craft—and like any craft, it gets better with expert guidance, clear feedback, and consistent practice.

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Whether you're just getting started or refining your storytelling voice, private lessons give you personalized, one-on-one support to help you grow faster and more confidently.

 

I’ve worked with composers of all levels across six continents, and have designed curriculum for independent companies like the Indie Film Music Contest—so wherever you're starting from, you're in good hands!

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Each 60-minute session is fully tailored to your individual goals. Whether you're focused on harmony, melody, orchestration, emotional scoring, or building complete soundtracks, we’ll zero in on what matters most to you—and work together to develop your creative voice.

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After every lesson, you’ll receive:
āœ… A full video recording of the session
āœ… Detailed notes on everything we covered
āœ… Homework assignments and exercises to help you apply what you’ve learned right away

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Private lessons are flexible, focused, and built to help you become the kind of composer you want to be.

To Apply: 

- Fill out the Intake form below. 

- Purchase the lesson(s) you'd like.

- Email tabletopcomposer@gmail.com with any additional questions you have. 

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Sheet Music

Book a Service

Common Topics

Harmony

How do I write an effective chord progression? How do I harmonize a melody? How do I keep my chords from getting boring?

Melody & Form

How do I come up with a good motif? How can I turn it into a full melody? How do I turn a simple idea into a full piece? What about counter melodies? 

Orchestration

How do I arrange my ideas for orchestra? What layers do I use? What instruments would work? How do I make it sound the way I want it to? 

Film Scoring

How do I write a character theme? How do I portray emotions with my music? How do I tell a story with the themes that I write? 

"I've had three lessons with Stephen. They were amazing and talked in depth about the topics I was having trouble with. The attention to detail he provided were top notch. He also recorded the lessons and sent me the videos so I could look back on them along with the written out lesson plans. I highly recommend Stephen as a teacher and have every intention to sign up for more. My favorite lesson of the three was our discussion on spotting for film. We discussed hit points along with tempo/time signature manipulation for a short film. 5 stars all around!!!"

- Patrick M. 

FAQ

1. What kind of students do you accept? 

I've worked with students of all different experience levels and backgrounds. However the best type of student is the one with a clear goal in mind. For example a student that wants to learn how to make their arrangements sound clearer will get much more out of lessons than a student who just wants generic feedback on their music. The more clear you can be about what you want to learn, the more specific we can get with the lessons. 

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2. Do I have to know how to read music? 

Not at all! There are no software requirements for lessons and I have experience teaching with both traditional notation and MIDI notation. As long as you have a way to share your work and a reliable process to write new music, there should be no issue. 

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3. How often are lessons? 

As often as you'd like. I've worked with students that meet anywhere from once ever three months to multiple times a week. It all depends on your goals and how frequently you want to meet. 

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4. What are your rates? 

If accepted, my rates are $90 for a one hour lesson, or $250 for three one hour lessons. 

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