1st lesson free
Jos's profile, diploma and contact details have been verified by our experts
Jos
- Rate £44
- Response 1h
-
Students11
Number of students Jos has accompanied since arriving at Superprof
Number of students Jos has accompanied since arriving at Superprof
£44/hr
Contact
1st lesson free
- Composition
- Orchestration
- Arranging
Royal Northern College of Music graduate teaches composition to all ages and abilities
- Composition
- Orchestration
- Arranging
Lesson location
- Online
-
at your home or in a public place : will travel up to 20 km from Liverpool
Super Tutor
Jos is one of our best Composition tutors. They have a high-quality profile, verified qualifications, a quick response time, and great reviews from students!
About Jos
I trained at the Royal Northern College of Music, where the joint specialism in saxophone and composition I studied was built around me; the first of its kind in the college's modern history. In 2023 I was awarded the RNCM Rob Buckland Saxophone Composition Prize, and I now work as a professional composer alongside my teaching, writing for ensembles, soloists, and film. What I teach comes from doing it.
I work mainly with GCSE and A-Level students on their composition coursework, though I teach anyone who writes, whether for auditions, projects of their own, or simply the pleasure of it. Composition is often the part of a music course students find most daunting, precisely because it's the most open-ended; the way I teach is about making it the part you feel most in control of.
I don't believe in teaching to a formula. Every student writes differently, so I work to your ideas and your taste rather than imposing mine, helping you find your own voice while making sure you understand exactly what a piece needs to succeed. My aim is always the same: to give you the tools and the confidence to get the music in your head onto the page, and out into the world.
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About the lesson
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
- +6
levels :
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Professional
1st Year
2nd Year
3rd Year
4th year
Graduate
- English
All languages in which the lesson is available :
English
Composition lessons are built around what you're writing. For GCSE and A-Level students that usually means your coursework: we'll take it from the first idea all the way to a finished, polished piece that meets the brief and answers everything the mark scheme is looking for. If you're writing for yourself, an audition, or a project, the approach is the same; your music leads, and I help you realise it.
We'll cover the craft properly: melody, harmony, structure, texture, arrangement, and how to write idiomatically for different instruments so each part genuinely works for the player. Just as importantly, you'll come to understand why those choices matter, so you're making decisions with intent rather than guessing at what might sound right.
Because arrangement and orchestration sit at the heart of good composition, I'll also set focused mini tasks to build those skills directly, things like arranging a song for string quartet or orchestrating a sixteen-bar piano piece for full orchestra. Exercises like these sharpen your instinct for how instruments work together, and that instinct feeds straight back into your own writing.
I'll also teach you the software properly, since fluency with it is part of composing well today. I work mainly in Sibelius and Logic Pro X, the industry standards for notation and production, but cost needn't be a barrier: Sibelius offers a free version to get started with, and I'm equally happy teaching in MuseScore, another excellent free program, for in-person lessons where you bring your own laptop.
The hardest part of composition is usually starting, and then knowing how to develop an idea once you've got one. That's where most of my students need the most support, and it's where lessons make the biggest difference. We'll break the process into clear, manageable stages, so a blank page stops feeling like a wall and starts feeling like a beginning.
For exam students, I'll make sure you know exactly what the examiners reward and how to show it in your work, without ever reducing your piece to a checklist. The goal is always a composition you're genuinely proud of, that also happens to tick every box it needs to.
With clear guidance and your own creativity driving it, there's no limit to what you can write.
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Recommendations
Recommendations come from relatives, friends and acquaintances of the teacher
5
Jos really helped with my sons Maths in a few weeks, he picked up quickly where he lacked and was really informative in the lessons and in between session checking in and setting homework. My Son felt a lot more confident going into his GCSEs after lessons with Jos. Jos was also very honest on if he felt he didn’t need extra lessons and said to not waste money if he was capable of achieving a pass mark at that stage. Would use him again.
Thanks again JosI’ve been taking saxophone lessons with Jos for about six months now and we have been focusing on classical repertoire and technique. I have seen such a big improvement in this time and couldn’t recommend him more!
We asked Jos to give our son a few lessons when he was struggling with his GCSE coursework. His tuition was so helpful! My son found him so easy to get along with and he said that Jos quickly helped him understand problems that he'd been struggling with in the classroom! Really highly recommended by us!
Jos tutored my son online in the last few months before GCSE, as he was struggling with certain concepts and losing what little motivation there had been. Jos was quickly able to put my son at ease, discern the areas of the curriculum on which to focus and then put forward a tutoring plan. Jos is very organised, well prepared and reliable. My son was happy and even enjoyed the sessions.
Jos worked with me to explain four part harmony and other areas of composition I struggling with. He has a way of explaining things that makes it easy to understand. He also helped me with musical theory. He is calm, patient and very personable. I would definitely recommend him if you are looking to improve your understanding of musical composition and theory.
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Rates
Rate
- £44
Pack prices
- 5h: £220
- 10h: £440
online
- £44/h
Travel
- + £5
free lessons
The first free lesson with Jos will allow you to get to know each other and clearly specify your needs for your next lessons.
- 30mins
Details
I only travel within a 20 minute radius of the Baltic Triangle for the £5 travel rate. Any more than this, we will have to discuss an additional rate for travel.
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