Have you ever dreamed of penning your own compositions? Writing music has been a dream of mine for the longest time. And it's a dream I am fortunate enough to have realized.

The idea of having a finished piece of music in front of you is exciting to say the least, but many students rush the process and end up with music that is less than what they originally thought of.

The way around this "compostion trap" as I like to call it is to be able to sit down at the piano or keyboard and be able to play for at least 15-20 minutes without judging what is coming out of you. Once you can do this, your ability to capture musical ideas as they first came to you increase.

First thoughts are powerful!

Your first ideas will ALWAYS BE YOUR BEST IDEAS! Why? Because this music comes straight from the heart and does not have the censorship of the critical mind attached to it. Always improvise first, then memoralize your ideas if you wish. I do this by jotting down an 8-bar section. Once the melody is recognized, I pencil in the first 2-bars and try to fill up the 8-bars with chord changes.

Once I have the first 8-bars, the whole piece is practically done. I usually do not finish a piece in one sitting, however, I do make it a point to at least get 8 bars of music down. This is a very doable goal and one you can accomplish as well!