Film Music Composition for Ages 14-17

Ages 14-17

Course Dates & Times

Tuesday 7 – Friday 10 April 2026
10am–12pm, BST (UTC+1)

About Film Music Composition for Ages 14-17

Aimed at beginners, this online course taking place over four days, will equip you with an understanding of how to write music for film. You can expect to analyse scenes from different films and explore how a particular genre of music complements a film visual.

Course topics will include composition, orchestration, composing with instrument sample libraries and the composition of original music to given clips.

Please note that this is a beginners course. 

Who is the course for?

• Anyone aged 14 to 17 who has a passion for cinema and film music.
• No prior experience of film music composition is necessary but a basic understanding of a DAW (ProTools, Ableton, Logic X, Cubase or any other similar DAW) is needed
• Grade 5 theory is advisable but not required.
• Participants need to be able to play an instrument and read music in order to take part in the course.

What can I expect?

In this course you can expect to learn: 

• How to spot a scene
• What kind of music complements a particular scene
• How to use instrumental sample libraries in order to enhance your compositions
• How to write music for a given clip

There will be daily exercises set by the tutor for participants to complete between sessions to help practise skills learnt in the sessions.

Do I need anything for the course?

• A Mac computer/laptop
• A DAW (ProTools, Ableton, Logic X, Cubase or any other similar DAW) 
• A MIDI-keyboard
• A pair of headphones

To get the most out of the course, some familiarity with a DAW (ProTools, LogicX, Ableton, Cubase, etc) is desirable as most contemporary composers work on a computer using a DAW and the course tutor will not be able to provide technical support. However, we are open to anyone who has interest in film music who is happy to take the course on a more observational basis. 

Course Fee

£185

Eligibility

• For everyone aged 14–17 
• Participants must have sufficient English language skills in order to fully engage with the course  

Online Short Courses Requirements

All sessions will take place online using Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to you in advance of the course start date with further instructions.

To participate in online classes you will need the following:

• An email address
• A reliable internet connection
• A laptop/tablet/desktop computer with a microphone and camera (most have these included)
• Speakers/headphones (the speakers in your laptop/tablet/computer should be sufficient)
• A fully updated web browser able to use the most up to date version of Zoom, or a fully updated Zoom client

If you have any questions regarding joining one of our online courses please contact us.

About the Course Tutor

The course is taught by Helen Noir, Professor of Electronic & Produced Music at Guildhall School, specialising in film. 

Helen Noir is a London-based soprano who combines performance work with writing, orchestrating and producing music for film and theatre. She writes in multiple styles from dance music to orchestral across multiple genres of film and often uses her own voice to create unique layered textures for cues. She teaches writing, producing and mixing music for film in styles from electronic to orchestral across multiple film genres from horror to comedy.

She is resident composer of The AIDS Plays Project, a long-term member of cult performance art group Theo Adams Company and has written scores for numerous art-house short films as well as co-written horror features and trailers. Equally at home working with vintage synths or orchestral musicians, she is adept at all aspects of modern film composition from making convincing mock-ups to creating sound worlds.