Music‑Composition

Choosing Composition at Dalhousie’s Music BA program means more than learning how to write music. It means training as a creative artist, collaborator, and musician within Halifax’s supportive professional music community. You’ll develop the confidence and skills needed to create music in your own compositional voice.

Dal's Fountain School composition students benefit from:

• A strong foundation
  in Music Theory, notation, score preparation, and compositional techniques that can be applied across genres and professional contexts.
• Exposure to a wide range of musical traditions and approaches.
  Become a versatile, adaptable, and well-rounded musician.
• Writing music that gets performed.
  Hear your work brought to life by fellow students, and professional performers / ensembles.
• Personalized one-on-one mentorship.
  You’ll have weekly composition lessons tailored to your individual goals, music interests, and artistic development.
• Hands on learning, and real-world experience
  through workshops, performances, creative projects, and connections with professional arts organizations.
• Developing your unique compositional voice,
  whether in classical music, popular music, musical theatre, film scoring, electronic music, songwriting, or interdisciplinary creation.
• Access to Halifax's vibrant artistic community,
  and networking, mentorship, and collaboration opportunities that can continue once you’ve graduated.

As a Fountain School composition alum, you graduate with more than your BMus in hand. You’ll leave with a portfolio of original works, real experience collaborating across diciplines, and valuable professional connections.

You’ll know how to turn big ideas into polished work, with the skills and experience needed for graduate studies, teaching, performance, composition work, interdisciplinary arts, and careers across today's music industry landscape.

Looking back, I am really glad that I started in the general program, because violin is such an important foundation for what I do in composition. As a composer, I still play violin a lot, but I mostly enjoy performing contemporary music.
- Shanti Sivarulrasa
BMus with concentration in Composition (2026)

Do I need a traditional classical music background?

No. Music is music.

Students enter the program from many backgrounds, including performance, songwriting, music production, and Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)-based composition. Faculty help students build skills in Music Theory, notation, orchestration, and composition each from their individual starting points.

Can I write in my own style?

Absolutely. Whether your inspiration comes from pop or classical music, film scoring, musical theatre, electronic music, or heavy metal, you'll be encouraged to develop your own artistic voice while building strong compositional craft and professional standards.

Grew up listening to Metallica?  We’ll challenge you to write heavy metal inspired music for a string quartet.

What does studying composition look like, each week?

You’ll have core classes in music theory and music history, and explore electives that interest you. All music students are in one of our ensembles. Here, everybody plays.

Composition students also receive one-on-one lessons focused on creating original music and developing their artistic goals. Instruction is individualized. You’ll work closely with faculty to create projects and goals that match your interests, abilities, and aspirations.

Can I combine concentrations in Composition and Performance?

Yes. Good composers are good performers. But buckle up, it’s a lot of work. 

As accomplished instrumentalists, some Music students pursue Composition equally alongside Performance, striving to maintain their high degree of technique while training as a composer at the same time.If our faculty thinks your ready, they'll help you navigate the workload and degree requirements. 

Late bloomer as an instrumentalist?

Love composing music but haven’t been playing the violin since you were three years old? Dal has a music degree option for that.

Flexible pathways in Dalhousie’s Music program allow our composition and instrumentalist students to balance or prioritize competing passions, depending on their career goals. Our “2+2” option with NSCC Musical Arts graduates is a great example.  

What is the student experience like?

Sometimes overwhelming, but always exciting. You’re part of a performing arts school surrounded by actors, singers, aspiring costume designers, technical theatre kids and film geeks. Dal Music forges life-long friendships and professional relationships. If you work hard, you’ll get to hear your original scores in our live DalTheatre stage productions, or being played by Symphony Nova Scotia.

Ready to get serious? Contact our Fountain School music advisor for next steps.