Many people ask, can musical composition be taught? Yes, certainly. I started teaching pop music composition ten years ago at Star House in Tsim Sha Tsui, then moving on to Baron School of Music teaching courses on musical composition and lyric writing. While teaching in Hong Kong pays well, there’s not much time left for the day after a long, laborious commute. Since teaching composition in Macao this year, having a single round trip commute feels much more relaxing. Those who wish to enrol in or study this kind of courses (for example, musical composition) need to have the following ready:

1. A good foundation in music theory – about an equivalent of ABRSM Grade 5;

2. Be capable of playing at least one musical instrument, preferably the piano;

3. Don’t be shy when working on a composition. A majority of students like to compose using musical instruments, but I think one’s voice is a much better instrument. However, many students are reluctant to use the humming method to compose. Asians tend to be self-conscious by nature;

4. Be able to listen to a lot of music from many different genres with an open mind, or else your compositions will have a very narrow range of styles;

5. Be willing to be creative. It’s true that while some students relish the act of taking notes, they are reluctant to create in a hands-on way–probably a disastrous result of spoon-feeding education in Hong Kong and Macao;

6. A computer installed with music software.

With the six qualities described above, you will probably be qualified for the course. Some might wonder whether creativity can be taught or not? This question is raised as we have seen too many novels and movies on geniuses that lead us to believe all artists are the “chosen ones”. If you have seen Stephen Chow’s Flirting Scholar, you would have thought gifted scholars can come up with words for their poems without any thinking or effort. In the case of Amadeus, you would believe it takes only one’s genius, not hard work, to effortlessly create a masterpiece that would last through the ages – as if the so-called genius must be born and never be taught or passed along. In fact, this is a huge misconception about creativity.

Of course, there are indeed artists who can produce good works despite the lack of professional training, but they are in the minority. After all, those with training and experience are better off than those without. With a more solid foundation, your creative career will last longer and be more stable. The key point is no one can rely on inspiration alone to stay creative throughout their career.

In fact, working in the creative industry requires specialised skills, a significant depth of knowledge and constant hard work, just like in many other industries. Do not put the creative industry on the pedestal: there is no god out there that hit us with an arrow of inspiration and stimulate our minds; nor is there an artist who can create a unique artwork out of the blue without being taught. Most of the time, we study and analyse previous works and rework them by improving or reorganising it, particularly in the early stages of one’s creative career. The early works of Mozart were heavily influenced by Haydn while the early works of Beethoven were inspired by Mozart. Good works are often the result of trial and error through imitation and practice.

Several artists of my acquaintance are known to often travel abroad to find inspiration but their creative output did not appear to increase much after making the trip. Here are some humble thoughts from the writer: rather than finding inspiration abroad, get yourself to study hard at the piano or desk breaking down the masterpieces, or sign up for a creativity course. These are effective ways of enhancing one’s creativity. But then of course, these methods might not be as “cool” as finding inspiration by travelling abroad.