Education · 1 of 5

The path

There is no exam and no licence. You build skill, then a catalogue of finished work.

1. 1

   Play an instrument seriously

   Years before you decide

   Most composers start here. Reading music and hearing harmony are the tools of the job.

2. 2

   Music degree or conservatory

   4 years

   A Bachelor of Music with a composition stream, for example at the University of Toronto, McGill, the University of British Columbia or Universite de Montreal. Admission is by audition plus a portfolio of your own pieces.

3. 3

   Learn the software

   Alongside school

   Notation and recording programs, sample libraries, mixing. Screen work is written and delivered on a computer.

4. 4

   Build credits

   2 to 4 years

   Student films, theatre, games, ensembles that will read your piece. Every finished project is a calling card.

5. 5

   Get known by directors and music supervisors

   Ongoing

   Nearly all screen work comes from people who have worked with you or heard your reel.