When Do Composers Start to Compose?

In my most recent LinkedIn poll, I asked composition colleagues when they started to compose. There were four age group categories to select: before 18, 18-30, 31-50, and after 50. Most participants came from two professional musicians’ platforms outside my network. The percentages of responses were similar between these two groups: over 60% chose “before 18,” about 25% chose “18-30,” and only a few chose “31-50” and “after 50.”  Surprisingly, no composers participated in the poll in the composers' group. On my network page, 44% chose each of the first two categories. The remaining 12% chose the other two categories.

Based on the results above, most composers who participated in this poll started composing before 18, and as their age increased, fewer and fewer composers began composing. This does not come as a surprise. Speaking from personal experience, I started writing in high school: diary, poetry, essays, then music. I wrote my first piano piece as a teenager before taking composition lessons. My mom hated the piece because it sounded like a pop tune with a “strange” ending. So, I quit writing music until I started college. During college, I majored in music and began to learn music composition. That’s when I realized that the cadence of my teenage piece was modal, not what my mom expected from Classical music. I assume other colleagues interested in music composition from a young age would try to compose even though no formal composition lessons were available until college.

It is usual for music students to start composing in college when they have the opportunity to receive formal training in music composition. When I taught music composition in college, most of my students learned and began to compose for the first time. I also encountered mature students who started to write at a later stage. Some would take composition lessons for pure interest. I was most impressed by a retiree who pursued a master’s in music composition. She came to me for private tutoring and to prepare her composition portfolio. She was the most dedicated student. Because of her impoverished upbringing, she did not have the opportunity to receive an adequate education when she was young. Going back to school had been her dream. After years of struggle, she finally had a successful career, retired, and could afford to pursue her dream as a student. Therefore, she treasured the learning opportunity immensely. Most remarkably, she was telling her life story in her music compositions! Wow, talk about inspiration. She had my 100% respect and admiration. So, what happened to her after her graduation? She furthered her studies and earned a PhD in Ethnomusicology. She has become the authority figure in her research area. Now, she is enjoying retired life with her grandkids.

Every musician has a different journey. From my observations, composers start composing in various life stages for multiple reasons. Pre-college students begin to compose out of pure interest or fulfillment of music assignments. College students start to compose to pursue their musical careers as composers. Post-college musicians start to compose to expand their musical expertise and further their careers. For some, it could be a shift of musical interest in middle age.  Older musicians start to compose for pure interest and to fulfill a dream that was not fulfilled when they were young.

Music composition has no age limit. Nowadays, educational programs and music technology designed for young composers allow more children to learn music composition. Junior programs in music conservatories have produced talented young composers before college. Adult students can take composition lessons or explore music technology within or outside the music curriculum. It is never too late to start composing. The older you get, the more stories you can tell through your music. This is an advantage over younger composers. No matter how old you are, it is always the right time to compose. You feel differently in different life stages. Let your music capture your ebbs and flows, joy and sorrow, dreams and hope. Let your music express how you feel about the world, the universe, and the people you care about. Let your music represent you, the one and only you.