What Is Composition? Why Adults Can Start Creating Music Now
- Diana Mascari
- Sep 4
- 5 min read
What Is Composition?
Do you remember those blue “composition” notebooks we once filled with essays and class assignments? In school, “composition” meant sentences and paragraphs. In music, it means something very different. Instead of grammar and punctuation, we work with melody, harmony, and rhythm—the building blocks of musical expression.
But what does musical composition really mean for you, as an adult who plays piano (or another instrument)? Why does it matter, and how can it bring more confidence, creativity, and joy into your musical life? Let’s explore.
Writing Music vs. Playing Music
Most of us spend our musical lives reading notes written by someone else. Even if we memorize a song, we’re still re-creating another person’s ideas. Writing music is different. It’s about shaping your own ideas.
Songwriters like James Taylor often start with lyrics, add chords, and weave in a melody. Composers, however, take another path. Think of John Williams, who wrote the unforgettable music for Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Jurassic Park. Beyond film scores, he longed to write “concert music”—pieces created simply for the joy of expression, like Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin once did.
Composing is just that: writing music one note at a time, either on paper or with notation software. Unlike playing from a page, you’re creating the page itself.
Can You Really Compose If You’ve Never Written Music Before?
Yes—you can. One of my composition teachers, William Thomas McKinley, explained it perfectly. When you learn piano, you practice for weeks, months—even years—before you’re ready to perform. But with composition, the order is reversed. You don’t wait years to begin. You start by experimenting. Scribble a few measures, improvise at the piano, or shape a short idea into a melody. Even your simplest attempt counts as composing.
This isn’t about comparing a beginner to Beethoven. It’s about giving yourself permission to try. You may be surprised by what you create.
What You Already Know Helps You Compose
If you play piano or any instrument, you already know more than you realize. Time signatures, clefs, bar lines, repeats, dynamics—you’ve seen and experienced them. That knowledge is a powerful foundation.
One of my young students once drew treble and bass clefs by hand just so she could write down her little tune. It wasn’t sophisticated, but it was hers. If she could do it as a beginner, imagine what you can do with years of playing behind you.
How Learning to Compose Builds Confidence and Creativity
When you first start learning to compose, even a four-measure idea opens the door to two dimensions:
the musical materials (notes, rhythm, dynamics)
the musical ideas (experimentation, listening, refining)
Each attempt builds creativity, yes—but it also builds confidence. I saw this firsthand as a choir director. My experience of both learning to compose and becoming a composer gave me insights into notation, text setting, and structure that strengthened my musicianship in ways playing alone never could.
Over the weeks, months, and years, I’ve found that composing has deepened both my confidence and creativity. And the same can happen for you.
Composing Deepens Your Enjoyment of Music You Already Love
Here’s the best part: composing changes the way you experience pieces you already know.
When I revisited Clementi’s Sonatinas years after first learning them, I saw harmonic progressions, rhythmic subtleties, and structural beauty I’d completely missed before. The same happened with Bartók’s Mikrokosmos. What once looked like “student pieces” revealed themselves as gems of invention.
There’s a saying: “you can’t unsee it.” Once you begin to compose, you notice new details everywhere—in Chopin, in jazz standards, even in songs on the radio. And your enjoyment of music deepens beyond measure.
Simple First Steps to Start Creating
Start small. Take a sheet of staff paper, copy a treble clef, and write down a few notes you play on the piano. Group them into measures. See what they sound like.
Or, try notation software. Enter a few notes, set a tempo, and play them back instantly. Adjust. Experiment. Add a second hand. Before long, you’ll be curious to try new rhythms, harmonies, and maybe even another instrument.
Remember: you don’t begin with masterpieces. You begin with one idea. Each small step opens the door to creativity, confidence, and joy.
Conclusion
Composition is not reserved for professionals or prodigies. If you play piano—or any instrument—you already carry the tools to begin. Writing your own music will make you more confident, more creative, and more deeply connected to the pieces you already love to play.
So go for it. Start simple. Experiment freely. Stay with it. Composing has the power to return joy and satisfaction to you many times over.
Your Turn: Sit at the piano today and try to create a short four-measure phrase. Write it down or use software to hear it back. Congratulations—you’ve just taken your first step as a composer.
Ready to Begin Your Own Composing Journey?
I specialize in helping adults—whether you’re returning to music or starting fresh—discover the joy of writing your own music. Through step-by-step guidance, I’ll show you how to take your ideas, however small, and shape them into real compositions you can hear, share, and be proud of.
🎶 If this story has sparked something in you, I’d love to help you start your own journey. Click here to set up a free consultation and let’s explore how you can awaken the composer within you.
When you take composition lessons with me, you won’t just learn how to create your own musical works—you’ll also gain insights that make you a stronger, more confident pianist. Composing and playing naturally enrich one another, opening new possibilities at the keyboard and beyond.
It’s time to explore your creativity!
Whether you’re returning to the piano or coming from another instrument, you don’t need to be an expert to begin. All it takes is curiosity, patience, and the right guidance. That’s where lessons make the difference. I’ll help you build confidence, use the metronome with ease, explore accompaniment patterns, and discover ways of playing that feel both natural and musical.
Why not give it a try?
Piano lessons with Diana Mascari are created specifically for adults like you—curious, motivated, and ready to enjoy music on your own terms.
Let’s get started!
Whether you’re just beginning or returning to music after years away, I’ll help you transform understanding into creativity and confidence. Together we’ll talk about piano lessons, composition lessons, and your personal musical interests and goals.
About Diana Mascari
American Composer & Jazz Pianist
Teacher of Piano & Composition for Adults
Diana Mascari
American Composer, Author, and Jazz Pianist
Teacher of Piano & Composition for Adults
For more than 47 years, Diana Mascari has taught piano to hundreds of students, enriching their lives by supporting each person’s unique musical voice. She created the Transformational Approach to Piano (TAP), a flexible system that helps students go beyond traditional methods to gain colorful insights, confidence, and joy in their playing.
Diana holds two Master of Music degrees from the New England Conservatory, taught keyboard harmony to music majors at Boston University, and served as music director of a multicultural Presbyterian Church for four decades.
As a performer, Diana has appeared as a solo jazz pianist and with her ensembles at colleges and jazz clubs throughout New England—often featuring her own compositions. As a composer, she explores the intersection of jazz and classical traditions, weaving together structure with the spontaneity of improvisation. Her works have been performed across Europe, Japan, and the Eastern United States, moving audiences with their timeless sense of beauty and emotion.
Diana’s vibrant personality infuses everything she does—teaching, performing, and composing—while inspiring her students to reach their musical goals and enjoy the piano on their own terms.
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