Yesterday marked the official end of the latest round of the ThinkSpace Education Orchestral Composition Bootcamp!
If you didn’t know, I’ve been one of the instructors for the bootcamp over the past year, and it’s honestly one of my favorite things to do.
As an educator, I love diving into all things music—whether it’s orchestration, mockups, or just helping composers refine their ideas.
Hearing themes go from a simple piano melody to a fully orchestrated piece in just eight weeks seriously never gets old!
Not only do I get to hear some amazing music, but I get to offer feedback and help shape those ideas into something even more incredible.
And of course, I couldn’t do it without the phenomenal team behind the bootcamp.
The ThinkSpace staff has been amazing to work with, and I always feel so inspired by Chuck Fernandez and Emily Hawkins, who are masters at what they do!
Over the course of the bootcamp, we run live feedback sessions, dive into webinars on topics like string writing theme development, technical rundowns and tackle the challenges of composing for orchestras.
But my favorite session is always the last one.
That’s when we reflect on everything the students have accomplished over their eight weeks.
And after 4 cohorts, what I hear time and time again is that…
Students come in wanting to get better at writing music, but they leave feeling more confident in their ideas—breaking through mental blocks they didn’t even realize were there.
That’s the best part for me: seeing that mindset shift, where it’s not just about writing better music, but actually trusting that they can!
I couldn’t be prouder of the students who just wrapped up this round, and I’m already looking forward to the next one (whenever that may be!).
Seeing composers grow over these eight weeks always reminds me why I love working 1:1 with musicians outside of the bootcamp too.
If you’re a composer looking to refine your music, navigate your samples and mockups, or figure out what’s holding you back, I also offer:
🧠Free 1:1 clarity sessions as well as...
🚀 Ongoing mentorship for composers.
It’s a chance to talk about your music career and discover the areas that might be keeping you stuck! 😄