The Composition Program
The Composition program offers many distinctive opportunities. With approximately 300 music majors within the Division of Music, composers can hear the music they write. At the Meadows School of the Arts, composers regularly collaborate with dance, theatre and film students in the creation and performance of new works. Creativity can flourish in our environment of active, encouraging support across Meadows for new, bold and artistic works. The program of study is flexible and designed to encourage independent stylistic development, technical skill and artistic excellence.
Our faculty consists of active, internationally recognized composers, including Robert Frank, Lane Harder and Xi Wang. All of our composition majors study with faculty from the first lesson – not with graduate students. Frequent guest composers are a regular part of studies in the Meadows School of the Arts and our limited class size means that each student has the opportunity to make personal connections with these leaders in the field.
The Electronic Music Studio at SMU is ideally configured for the creation and instruction of film, game, and electro-acoustic music, as well as recording production in a comfortable, elegant environment. The studio is equipped with a dedicated isolation booth, high-capacity Macintosh-based hardware and software, 5.1 surround sound playback, and duo large-screen monitors for exceptional game and film scoring capacity. Recording equipment includes a full range of professional microphones, stands and high-quality cables. Additionally, a matching portable, 8-channel digital recording system with click-track capability is available for student use for recording sessions in any of our many performing spaces. Limited class size allows greater studio access than in many larger schools, so our students have more time to turn musical visions into reality.
SMU’s industry-leading, professional game development program in the SMU Guildhall provides our students unparalleled opportunities to gain professional experience in game music as they work with their development teams from inception to final production in the release of original, new games each and every year on STEAM. Film music projects with our B.F.A. film students, ranging from shorts to feature-length films, are frequently screened at professional theaters and at the Dallas International Film Festival. These opportunities – even rare for graduate programs – are available for all composition majors at SMU.
Admission is very selective for the composition degree program and students are offered considerable individual attention, direct access to facilities, guests, and collaborators, and the camaraderie that only an exceptional program of small size can offer. Students wishing to look into the distinctive opportunities for study at SMU are encouraged to apply early.
Composition Portfolio Submission
The Composition Portfolio should include works that best demonstrate the diversity and strength of your compositional styles and skills. Length is not as important as quality – a short (2-3 minute) work that is highly professional would be more desirable than a 20-minute, 3-movement average work. All scores should look as professional as you can make them. You do not need to submit parts. Recordings of live musicians for all non-electronic works submitted are not required, but very strongly advised if available (we all understand "rough" performances/demos – it's the music that we are evaluating, not the performance.) Music cues for film and game track applicants should be in different genres (drama, suspense, comedy, action, etc) and at least one should demonstrate synchronization to a moving image. These may be submitted via YouTube links. Applicants for both tracks should provide a complete list of works written to date (with performance dates if available) and a short, written statement of your compositional goals – both for study at the university level and for your long-term career.
Applicants for the Bachelor of Music in Composition must also apply for admission to SMU and audition on their principal instrument. Graduate students, in addition to submitting a composition portfolio, must apply to the Meadows School of the Arts, and submit transcripts, three letters of recommendation, and a one-page goals statement describing your professional goals and compositional approach.
