Workshops and Teaching Collaborations
Alongside my work as a composer, I do workshops on music theory, harmony, and live sound for performers, musicians and producers.
Intro
My teaching comes directly from my practice as a composer for dance, physical theater, and film (read more about my work). What I bring into a classroom or rehearsal usually comes from real production experience.
I work in two directions: harmony and theory, connected closely to the ear and the instrument, and live music for movement and improvisation, built together with the performers I’m working with.
Approach
Every group is different, so I adapt the entry point: sometimes a chord progression, sometimes a movement phrase, sometimes a piece of repertoire someone already plays. Three things stay constant across all of it:
- I preparare a plan but I’m ready to drop it, the group’s material and questions come first.
- Concepts land faster when they’re tied to something you can hear or play right away.
- Theory as a source of curiosity: I want people to enjoy understanding why something works, not just use it.
Workshops
1. Harmony Beyond the Page (for instrumentalists)
A practical route into functional harmony for players who read notation but have never really understood why the changes work. Ear-training, chord-scale relationships, and improvising over changes on your own instrument, starting from repertoire you already play. 2–4 hours, or a 3-session module for a class or ensemble.
2. Music Theory for Producers and Beatmakers (for self-taught producers, no notation required)
Harmony translated into the language of a DAW: why certain chord loops feel “stuck,” how to build tension and release without music-school vocabulary, how sampling and voicing interact with basic theory. Aimed at people who make music by ear and want more control. 2–4 hours, or a 3-session module.
3. Scoring the Body (for dancers and movement performers)
How live music can score a movement phrase in real time: building musical timing without reading notation, listening as a compositional tool, and giving performers language to talk to a musician about what they need. 2–4 hours, or a short intensive for a specific piece.
4. Sound and Stakes (for improv theater performers)
Live music as a dramaturgical tool in improvised scenes: how sound raises or lowers stakes, supports a scene’s rhythm, and gives performers permission to be imperfect. Because in improv, fear of “wrong notes” kills the work as much for the musician as for the actor. 2–4 hours, or ongoing collaboration with a company.
Formats
Single workshop / masterclass (2–4 hours): any one of the four topics above, as an introductory session for a class, ensemble, or company.
Short intensive module (2–5 sessions over 1–2 weeks): deeper work on one topic, tied to a specific project, exam prep, or student group.
Ongoing collaboration / guest artist: recurring involvement with a school, company or festival.
Relevant work
A few examples of my work:
Recurring past or current collaborations: Opera Lab Berlin, die elektroschuhe Berlin, Berlino Italia Improv.
Interested in a workshop, masterclass, or ongoing collaboration? Get in touch.
Looking for one-on-one work instead? I also teach private theory and composition lessons.