Composition & Technology

Students studying composition at KSU encounter a range of great opportunities for the development and advancement of their creative work. There are numerous opportunities for students to get performances and recordings of their compositions, ranging from our student composition recitals to recording sessions\ to our composition contest winners who have their works presented by our top orchestra or wind ensemble. Students study with our internationally recognized faculty composers and with prestigious guest composers, including two Pulitzer Prize winners who have visited in recent years. There are also a growing number of opportunities for scoring for film, video games, and new media. KSU composition students have pursued successful careers as video game composers, international touring artists, and independent video and music creators, and have studied at prestigious graduate programs at the University of Michigan, Mills College, and Columbia College Chicago’s MFA in Music Composition for the Screen.

Composition study prepares students for a varied array of musical careers, such as the ones below. Entrepreneurial graduates have created their own career paths by combining a number of these activities. Skills learned during composition studies have also been successfully applied in other professions our graduates have chosen.

composer with student

 

Faculty and Staff

Name
Position
  • Professor of Music

    lsherr@kennesaw.edu
    (470) 578-3406
    MU 116

  • Part-Time Assistant Professor of Music

    dpegel1@kennesaw.edu
    (470) 578-6151
    WB 111

composing and new technology

Career Possibilities

  • Film, TV, and video game scoring
  • Classical composition
  • Arranging
  • Music business and production
  • Audio design
  • Pathway to university-level teaching
  • Recording studio professionals
  • Concert producer and promoter
  • Music publishing
  • Media arts company positions
  • Music scholarship and research
  • Music software programmer

 

Past Guest Composers

  • David Lang, Pulitzer prize winner, Yale University faculty
  • Joseph Schwantner, Pulitzer prize winner
  • Chen Yi
  • Nico Muhly
  • Thomas Benjamin
  • Massimiliano Messieri
  • Nicola Baroni
  • Steven Bryant
  • Joel Puckett

 

"We are taught how to become entrepreneurs on our own, and something I have really enjoyed is the opportunity to meet guest composers. We are fortunate to present our own talents to such inspirational people. It is wonderful that KSU allows us the opportunity to have these experiences that will further our chances in becoming successful in our field."

Composition Area Graduate

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