Learning Lab
Each season, ACO presents a series of digital professional development sessions led by composer mentors and industry leaders. An evolving resource for composers at all stages of their careers, sessions have covered topics including orchestration, networking, publishing, copyright, orchestra unions, media rights, fundraising, public speaking, educational program design, and more.
Commissions & Consortia Workshop: Put Me On
Featuring Speaker: Corey Field
Corey Field is a professionally trained composer who is better known as a prominent entertainment, media, and copyright attorney at his Los Angeles based law firm Corey Field Law Group, P.C. In this collaboration with ACO, Corey will unpack some of the need-to-know information surrounding orchestral commissions and the creation of consortia for composers.
Rehearsal Techniques Webinar: Onstage Do’s & Do’s
Featuring Speakers: Lina González-Granados and Nina Shekhar
Receiving a performance by an orchestra isn’t the end of the road for a composer, but the beginning of an ongoing relationship. This webinar will offer rehearsal techniques to composers, and will speak to how they should engage conductors, orchestras, and its musicians throughout the rehearsal process.
Additional Resources
Orchestration Webinar: Tricks of the Trade with Melinda Wagner
Featured Speaker: Melinda Wagner
Celebrated as an “…eloquent, poetic voice in contemporary music…” [American Record Guide], Melinda Wagner’s esteemed catalog of works embodies music of exceptional beauty, power, and intelligence. She joins ACO to take musical works from the “canon” and use them as a guide for emerging composers to understand some of the important things to know about orchestration, part writing, and more. This session is inspired by composer Steven R. Gerber’s NewMusicBox article “Orchestration: Composers Reveal Tricks of the Trade.”
Additional Resources
Score & Part Preparation
Featuring Speakers: Manly Romero and Philip Rothman
The work of orchestra librarians often goes unnoticed, but preparing parts to be read by orchestral musicians is a vital part of the process. Manly Romero and Philip Rothman are experts in this aspect of musical performance, and join ACO in this webinar to help composers navigate the task of successful score and part preparation.
Additional Resources
MOLA-Guidelines-for-Music-Preparation
https://www.scoringnotes.com/tips/score-preparation-production-notes/
Self-Publishing Webinar: Pens, Printer Ink, and the Post Office
Featuring Speakers: Valerie Coleman and Jonathan Page
Valerie Coleman has quickly become one of America’s leading living composers, and couldn’t have done it without the help of her music publisher, Jonathan Page! He joins ACO in this webinar to offer insights on self-publishing as well as the ins and outs of the publishing process. Through his experiences as the co-president and manager of Valerie Coleman’s publishing company, VColeman Music, Jonathan Page will share an in-depth view into self-publishing and what it takes to launch and create a vehicle that provides sustainable distribution and revenue. Watch this webinar to learn how to get started in publishing your own music.
About Jonathan Page
Jonathan Page is Co-President and manager of VColeman Music, the publishing company that houses the sheet music, licensing, and rental catalog of composer Valerie Coleman. His former work in both Fortune 500 corporate finance, and music production informed his efforts in structuring a business model for the company, as it engages hundreds of presenting arts organizations yearly. Based in New York City, Jonathan is also a classically trained percussionist who received a degree in music industry from James Madison University, and for over two decades, he has explored the mediums of sound engineering, created a documentary on the life of Othello Wilson, and continues his work in mentoring emerging composers.
Additional Resources
Self-Publishing Overview + Additional Resources
Presentation Slides – Self Publishing Webinar
MOLA Guidelines for Music Preparation