Composition lessons

“Sarah Rimkus is dedicated to fostering creativity and providing a safe space for her students to explore their artistry. Through her extensive professional experience, Sarah guides her students from the early stages of a composition to finalizing a performance ready score. During my time studying with Sarah, I have expanded my knowledge on orchestration and improved my process for developing ideas."

–Nick, K-12 music teacher

In addition to my activity as a composer, I am passionate about teaching composition. If you are interested in taking composition lessons, or would like to hear more about it, I would love to hear from you! 

My teaching experience ranges from lecture halls with fifty-seven students to one-on-one sessions. I am currently a visiting assistant professor of music composition and theory at Sewanee, and I was recently a visiting assistant professor and applied instructor at Michigan Technological University. As a teaching assistant at the University of Aberdeen, I also taught second and third-year composition, music history, choral arranging, and an elective course I developed on the life and works of George Crumb. I have also led composition and improvisation exercises in other group circumstances, such as Superior String Alliance’s summer camp. My composition students have ranged from high school to post-MM level.

I have also worked with composers in other professional contexts. For instance, in my time as artistic director for Spectrum New Music Ensemble, I helped bring thirteen diverse world premieres by student composers to life. Throughout this process, I worked with the students on developing professional skills in composition, such as proper score and part preparation, working directly with instrumentalists, and speaking publicly about their work. I have also worked as an editor, reviewing hundreds and editing dozens of scores by other composers.

I generally have time available for private composition students during the summer, and may have time available during the academic year. If you are interested in private composition lessons with me, I would love to hear from you!

Discussions can cover any range of topics, from the creative process to developing your compositional style to professional issues. I tend to start discussions by talking through the student’s creative process, and identifying and building upon their own personal musical tendencies and strengths. I am very happy to set specific compositional tasks to encourage creativity through parameters, which many of my students have found quite valuable. However, recognizing that everyone’s processes and styles are different, I aim to keep composition lessons as student-directed as possible.

Send me an email to enquire further.