NYMMEP Explore the Beat Wrap-up: Music Composition and Arrangement

Explore the Beat is part of New York Music Month Extended Play, an initiative of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.

We had Dale Novella show us how to compose and arrange digital music. Here’s our recap, as well as some resources!

A Recap

In this workshop, Dale Novella showed how to turn our sketches and ideas into full fledged songs. We went over how to create movement in our music, effectively take our listeners on a journey through our arrangement decisions. After watching the video above, you will learn:

What inspires us to create music?

How do we express our feelings through music?

Does the DAW we use matter?

What chords are most used in popular music?

How can different chords effect how we feel?

What are popular BPMs/tempos?

What are the different parts of a pop song?

How long is each section?

Does genre matter in composing?

How does music tell a story?

What’s an intro and outro?

How do we engage listeners and keep them interested?