Learn about composing from the comfort of your own living room. Need-based full scholarships are available.

Each six-week virtual-mini course will focus on a different topic in composition – from building your career, to film scoring, to interactive electronics.
No composition experience necessary & no need to be a Wildflower alum to apply.

Currently enrolling for 2024!

About our Virtual Mini-Courses

Eligibility

We invite applications from female, transgender, nonbinary, and/or genderqueer composers who are just beginning their compositional journeys or are in the early stages of their professional careers. Applicants do not need to have formal composition experience or training in order to apply, nor do they need to have participated in previous Wildflower programming.

The minimum age to participate is 13. There is no maximum age to participate.

Technical Requirements

  • Access to a computer and the internet. We do not recommend participating in courses from your tablet or phone unless absolutely necessary.
  • The latest version of Zoom.

Tuition

Tuition for each course is $200. For each additional course, students receive a $25 discount off the total cost:

  • One course: $200
  • Two courses: $375 ($25 discount)
  • Three courses: $550 ($50 discount)

Need-based financial aid is available. You will be able to request financial aid in your application.
We do not award merit scholarships.

The Art of Video Game Scoring

with Nadia Wheaton
Wednesday evenings 7–8:30pm ET, May 29 – July 3

Learn about game scoring from Nadia Wheaton, a professional music designer at Bungie (creators of Destiny 2).

The Art of Video Game Scoring will delve into the holistic aspects of creating music for video games. Explore how music interacts with gameplay and game development, and discover the power of collaboration in creating memorable game scores.

Topics will include but are not limited to:

  • Developing strong melodic identity for a video game, expanding melodic ideas to create derivative arrangements/versions
  • Exploring interactive music concepts and how music can enhance the player experience
  • Understanding the roles in game development and their collaboration with music
  • Interpreting and iterating on feedback from game developers
  • Exploring career paths in video game composition as a freelancer
  • Guest speaker interview and Q&A with an industry composer
  • This course does not require students to purchase or use a specific software; however, access to a notation software (i.e. Noteflight, Sibelius, etc.) is recommended. No game scoring experience required.

The Art of Video Game Scoring meets on Wednesday evenings from 7–8:30pm eastern, May 29 – July 3. Enrollment limited to 20 students.

Nadia Wheaton is a music designer and supervisor known for her work in video games, including Destiny 2: The Final Shape, Destiny 2: Lightfall, and Destiny 2: The Witch Queen. Prior to her focus on video games, she contributed to film and TV projects like Smallfoot and Playmobil.

Film and TV Scoring 101

with Alison Plante and Berklee Online
Tuesdays from 7–8:30pm, September 3 – October 8

Curious about the world of film scoring? Take Film and TV Scoring 101 to learn from the best!
In this introduction to scoring for film and television, you will be invited to explore all aspects of this amazing art form, in particular the nature of the collaboration between a composer and a director/producer as the score supports their vision, world-building, and storytelling. Each workshop will combine an exploration of the aesthetics and the process of scoring, with weekly topics including:

  • Source, underscore, songscore, and the functions music can serve in a film/TV show
  • “Behind a scene” – the process of scoring a cue from concept to delivery
  • The filmmaking/TV production process
  • The composer’s team and “a week in the life”
  • How to make a living as a composer for media: from college programs to professional career paths
  • Student work screenings
  • Students can opt to complete scoring challenges or bring their own work for peer and teacher feedback; this is an optional component of this workshop series, and no scoring background is required to participate.

Film and TV Scoring 101 meets on Tuesday evenings from 7–8:30pm from September 3 – October 8. Enrollment is limited to 20 students.

Film and TV Scoring 201

with Alison Plante and Berklee Online
Tuesdays from 7–8:30pm, October 15 – November 19

Have you already taken Film and TV Scoring 101 or do you already have some media scoring experience? Join us for a second level of study in Film and TV Scoring 201.
In this continued exploration of the world of scoring for film and TV, students will focus on three popular genres over the six-week program. The first week of each 2-week module will be a lecture-style deep dive into that particular genre and some composition, orchestration, and/or technology techniques that are often used in scoring for that genre. Students will then be invited to score a short film or TV excerpt in that genre that utilizes the technique/s introduced in class, and will spend the next session receiving feedback from Alison and their peers. This pattern of a session on genre exploration followed by a feedback session on student scores will continue over each 2-week module in the six week course, meaning that participating composers will have the opportunity to receive feedback on three different film cues. The scoring assignments are not obligatory.

Applicants must have completed Film and TV Scoring 101 (formerly Introduction to Film Scoring) with Wildflower Composers, either in this season or in a previous season, or must have prior experience with media scoring and basic terminology.

Film and TV Scoring 201 meets on Tuesday evenings from 7–8:30pm from October 15 – November 19. Enrollment is limited to 20 students.

Prof. Alison Plante is the director of Berklee Online’s Film Scoring graduate program. Berklee Online offers the renowned curriculum of Berklee College of Music at a fraction of the cost with award-winning programming and instruction.