Loading…
Home Conservatory
Saved ✓
Home Conservatory · Est. Today

A Self-Directed Degree in
Music Composition

The same textbooks used in the world's finest conservatories — structured as a complete degree you can pursue anywhere, at any pace.

🎼

4 Degree Levels

Undergraduate through Doctoral — the full arc of a composition education, from tonal harmony to semiotics and critical theory.

📚

42 Courses · 450+ Steps

Every course is broken into real chapters from the canonical textbook, so you always know exactly where you are and what comes next.

📈

Chapter-Level Tracking

Check off individual chapters as you finish them. Watch your progress fill in chapter by chapter, course by course, level by level.

🏅

Badges & Streaks

Earn achievements as you complete courses and levels. Build a study streak and watch your dashboard reflect your real progress.

🔗

Free Resource Library

Free PDFs, YouTube lectures, IMSLP scores, and recordings linked to every area of the curriculum.

🌍

Completely Free

No tuition. No deadlines. No gatekeeping. Study at your own pace, from anywhere in the world, forever.

Suggested Study Pace

LevelCoursesChaptersRelaxedIntensive
Undergraduate12~1462 years12 months
Upper / Early Grad8~9618 months9 months
Master's11~1282 years12 months
Doctoral11~1282–3 years18 months

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need prior music knowledge to start?
The undergraduate level assumes basic music literacy — treble/bass clef and basic rhythms. If starting from zero, spend a few weeks with a beginner theory course first, then dive in.
Do I need to buy all the textbooks?
Many have free legal alternatives — check the Resources page. Alan Belkin's composition guide is entirely free online. For key texts, used copies on AbeBooks are often very affordable.
Is there a certificate at the end?
This is self-directed — no accredited certificate. The value is the knowledge, the compositions you create, and the portfolio you build. Think of it as rigorous intellectual and creative formation.
Can I skip levels or jump around?
Absolutely. The curriculum is a guide, not a requirement. Jump to wherever your knowledge and curiosity take you.
How does chapter tracking work?
Each course expands to show its chapters — real chapter titles from the textbook. Click any chapter to mark it done. When all chapters in a course are complete, the course auto-completes. You can also manually mark a whole course done without going chapter by chapter.
Your Study Dashboard

Welcome back, Student

Chapters Done
0
of 0 total
Courses Complete
0
of 42 courses
Overall Progress
0%
by chapter
Study Streak
0
days active

Degree Completion

0%
Chapters done
Remaining

Progress by Level

Undergraduate0%
Upper / Early Grad0%
Master's0%
Doctoral0%

Study Activity — Last 30 Days

Badges & Achievements

Self-Directed Degree Program

Music Composition

Click any course to expand its chapters — check them off as you go

Level IUndergraduate Studies
Bachelor's Equivalent
Year 1 — Semester 1: Tonal Foundations
3 Courses
Year 1 — Semester 2: Harmony & Counterpoint
3 Courses
Year 2 — Semester 3: Counterpoint & Form
3 Courses
Year 2 — Semester 4: Analysis & Orchestration
3 Courses
Undergraduate Progress0%
Level IIUpper & Early Graduate
Advanced / Pre-MA
Year 3 — Post-Tonal Theory
3 Courses
Year 3 — Analysis & History
3 Courses
Year 4 — Capstone
2 Courses
Upper Level Progress0%
Level IIIMaster's Studies
M.M. Equivalent
Grad Year 1: Serialism & Electronic
3 Courses
Grad Year 1: Aesthetics & Form
3 Courses
Grad Year 2: Microsound & Mind
3 Courses
Grad Year 2: Thesis
2 Courses
Master's Progress0%
Level IVDoctoral Studies
D.M.A. / Ph.D. Equivalent
Doctoral Year 1: Semiotics & Theory
3 Courses
Doctoral Year 1: History of Theory
2 Courses
Doctoral Year 2: Electroacoustic & Media
3 Courses
Doctoral Year 2–3: Dissertation
3 Courses
Doctoral Progress0%
Total Progress
0 / 0
chapters

Add Composition

🎵
Drag files here or
MP3 · WAV · OGG · PDF · MXL · MIDI · XML
Composition Portfolio

My Portfolio

Document your compositions as you work through the curriculum

Free Learning Materials

Resource Library

Free PDFs, YouTube lectures, IMSLP scores, and recordings to accompany every level of the curriculum.