Hey guys, I would like to become a composer but...?

Question:I've known for the past four years I want to be a composer, except I have never had any formal musical training and everything I know is self taught...

I live in New Jersey and can't seem to find any colleges that offer music degrees in anything but proformance-- except I am not a player of my orchestra instrument. (I compose on keyboard, but it's all digital and I haven't had enough experience playing live that I could become a concert pianist)
My main instrument for profromance is guitar...

I keep telling my parents what I'd like to do, and they keep finding me info on proformance schools, and it's just not something I can do!
As hard as I try to stress to them that I can't do that they just insist I can learn to play any instrument 'cause I have talent. except I'd be up against kids who've played since they were 8. I'll admit I'm very very good with the guitar, but they don't offer proformance degrees in that
How do I get in to a composing school? and what is that calle

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I've known for the past four years I want to be a composer, except I have never had any formal musical training and everything I know is self taught...

I live in New Jersey and can't seem to find any colleges that offer music degrees in anything but proformance-- except I am not a player of my orchestra instrument. (I compose on keyboard, but it's all digital and I haven't had enough experience playing live that I could become a concert pianist)
My main instrument for profromance is guitar...

I keep telling my parents what I'd like to do, and they keep finding me info on proformance schools, and it's just not something I can do!
As hard as I try to stress to them that I can't do that they just insist I can learn to play any instrument 'cause I have talent. except I'd be up against kids who've played since they were 8. I'll admit I'm very very good with the guitar, but they don't offer proformance degrees in that
How do I get in to a composing school? and what is that calle

hey, I'm a music producer and i didn't′t go to any school to study that, although there are several schools for that. But something that i have done is to study as much as possible anything related to music, music theory, classical guitar, piano, drums, bass, brass, etc. and that helps a lot at the moment when you need to draw ideas for a TV commercial, or for a School play, or for a demo song, etc.

I understand that you don't want to go compete against amazing talented musicians who started as kids, but in the music business, YOU DO COMPETE with professionals who have studied, and have degrees, and masters, and they hire people with experience and people that prove to be good musicians, or songwriters or composers or producers. So if you are planning to enter that field, my friend, you are going to need all the help you can have from a school, any kind of school, performance, theory, etc, otherwise your gonna need a VERY good contact to pull you off or VERY good luck to go further and do a living with composition.

You don't have to graduate from a performance school, or become a concert pianist, You just need to have all the resources you can have and sometimes experience does not hand you out all the resources. I f your parents encourage you to enroll a music school, and if they are willing to help you financially, don't waste your time and get to it. You will make your way through composition but you have to walk parallel with any music training to full-fill your dreams.

Good luck and try not to worry about others being better than you, if you are talented, and visionary and with discipline you can go far from those who have long TIME playing notes.

It's PERFORMANCE not "proformance." A little spelling work might also benefit you. Anyway, to become a concert pianist you MUST be able to play from memory, classical pieces by all the masters, and actually play the piano which apparently you don't realize is different than playing electronic keyboard (which I suspect may be what you are talking about). Your parents are trying to explain that it is necessary to go to SCHOOL and have further training. However, if performance art is not what you want, TELL THEM! Unfortunately, there is no school that teaches nothing but music composition. If you are already a master at it (debateable at best) then I suggest you seek out an agent and a music publisher in that order. You will find this VERY DIFFICULT to do! First you seem to have a lot of bravado, then you seem to be fearing that you would have to compete with kids who have been playing an instrument since the age of 8. I think you have a LONG way to go. Also, you should be in band at school, and perhaps writing music for local play productions and school productions. This is a good way to gain actual experience. And I also hope you can compose entire orchestral arrangements because that is what it takes to even consider making it in the field.

*you need a start*
go to: musictheory.net and work on the training and find an site that offers music theory lessons, i think that might get you on the right track.

At Cal State Northridge, you still have to do performance work, even in composing major. (Voice counts as an instrument). You have to learn piano up to a certain level, plus one string and one wind instrument. The reason is so that you know what various instruments are capable of. I think that's probably true of any good composing school.

You also will need to learn to read music theory, musicianship, harmony and music history. If New Jersey has community colleges, they are a great place to start. Don't worry about comparing yourself to anyone else. Voice is my instrument, but I didn't start singing until rather late in life. Good luck.