12 Weeks
Level 3
3-Credit Tuition
$1,545Non-Credit Tuition
$1,290Orchestration skills are an increasingly hot commodity. Placement on television, in video games and animation, and other modern revenue outlets require a detailed understanding of orchestral writing and production techniques. In this 12-week course, students will learn traditional orchestration techniques as well as emerging issues specific to today's technology. The course begins by covering the technological considerations required to create modern day orchestral sounds: sample libraries, sequencing techniques, and different types of hardware set ups. From there, students will learn the characteristics and idiomatic writing techniques for each orchestral instrument family: strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion, as well as approaches for writing for full orchestra.
The course allows students to use the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) program of their choice, including Digital Performer, Logic, Cubase, SONAR, or Pro Tools, and a sample library such as East West, Kontakt, or Vienna. By the end of the course, students will have the knowledge to orchestrate music and apply this knowledge to both digital and live orchestral performances. This course also provides the next step in practical skill development for students in our Arranging programs, by adding the concept of orchestration using a sample library.
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Understand and apply traditional orchestration techniques
- Analyze orchestral scores
- Sequence music for every section of the orchestra
- Create a full-length piece for full orchestra
Syllabus
Lesson 1: Technological Considerations
- Samples, Samplers, MIDI, and Sequencers
- Software Installation and Troubleshooting
- Signal Flow in a MIDI Orchestration Studio
- Hardware Installation and Troubleshooting
- How Sampling Patches Are Constructed
- Creating Dynamics in Your Sequence
- On-Velocity
- Volume
- Expression
- Dynamic Layers and Modulation
- Dynamics Summary
- Working With Dynamics
- The Two Rules of MIDI Orchestration
Lesson 2: Musical Considerations
- Orchestral Sizes
- Historical Use of Orchestral Resources
- Clefs
- Transposition
- The Score
- Multiple Parts and Staves
- Cover Page
- Transposed and C Scores
- The Part
- Notation Programs
- The Overtone Series
Lesson 3: String Writing I
- Instruments and Their Ranges
- Instrument Identification
- Open Strings
- Notating String Preferences
- Double-Stops
- Viable Triple and Quadruple Stop Triads
- Sample Types: Sustained
- Sample Types: Tremelo
- Sample Types: Staccato
- Sample Types: Pizzicato
- Sample Types: Crescendo and Diminuendo
- Sample Types: Trill
- Sample Types: Runs
- Sample Types: Articulations
- Sample Types: Additional Samples
- Combining Samples: Alternating
- Combining Samples: Key Switches
- Combining Samples: Layering
- Acoustic Bowing Techniques
- Bowing and Dynamics
- Choosing Bowings
- Sequencing Implications
- Additional Playing Techniques
- Reconciling Acoustic Playing Techniques and Sample Types
Lesson 4: String Writing II
- 4-Part Writing
- 5-Part Writing
- Doubling and Divisi Writing
- Sequencing Divisi Parts
- Intro to Mozart's 40th Symphony
- Presenting Melody
- Violin
- Viola
- Cello
- Bass
- Octave Doublings
- Voicing Chords
- Harmonic Treatment
- Harmonic Arrangement
- Incorporating Solo Strings
Lesson 5: Brass Writing I
- Brass Section Introductions
- Instrument Ranges
- The Horn
- The Trumpet
- The Trombone
- The Bass Trombone
- The Tuba
- Sample Types
- Sample Type: Sustained
- Sample Type: Staccato
- Sample Types: Crescendo and Diminuendo
- Sample Types: Articulations
- Sample Types: Additional Samples
- Combining Samples: Alternation
- Combining Samples: Layering
- Dynamics
- Sequencing Dynamics
- Brass Melodic Presentation
- Horn Melody
- Trumpet Melody
- Trombone Melody
- Brass Mutes
- Trumpet and Trombone Mutes
- Tuba and Horn Mutes
Lesson 6: Brass Writing II
- Brass Section Size and Subgrouping
- Acoustic Articulations
- Brass Articulations
- Glissandi
- Chordal Voicings
- Bad Voicings
- Using Brass for Harmonic Support
- Using Brass to Create a Climax
- The Brass Fanfare
- Brass and String Combinations
Lesson 7: Woodwind Writing I
- Woodwind Background
- Woodwind Ranges
- The Piccolo
- The Flute
- The Oboe
- The English Horn
- The Bassoon
- The Contrabassoon
- The Clarinet
- The Bass Clarinet
- Common Sample Types
- Sample Type: Staccato
- Sample Type: Trills
- Sample Type: Runs
- Sample Types: Crescendo and Diminuendo
- Sample Types: Legato Articulations
- Sample Types: Repetition Articulations
- Acoustic Articulations
- Woodwind Solos
- Woodwind Solo: Flute
- Woodwind Solo: Oboe
- Woodwind Solo: English Horn
- Woodwind Solo: Clarinet
- Woodwind Solo: Bassoon
Lesson 8: Woodwind Writing II
- Woodwind Doublings
- Doubling to Create a Unique Tone Color
- Doubling to Create Growth
- Doubling to Create a Climax
- Doubling Woodwinds with Brass and Strings
- Woodwind Chordal Voicings
- Creating Blend
- Chord Tone Spacing
- Counterlines
- Textural Flourishes
- Runs
- Using Woodwind Runs
- Restatement
- Harmonic Arpeggiation
- Harmonic Support
Lesson 9: Percussion Writing I
- Instrument Categorization
- Snare Drum
- Bass Drum
- Tambourine
- Additional Nonpitched Idiophones
- Pitched Membranophones
- Writing for Timpani
- Xylophone
- Marimba
- Glockenspiel
- Tubular Bells
- Harp
- Notating Pedal Positions
- Enharmonic Spellings
- Glissandi
- Harmonics
- Keyboards
- Celesta
- Additional Pitched Percussion Instruments
Lesson 10: Percussion Writing II
- Notation Considerations
- Notating A Snare Part
- Percussion Uses
- Accent Highlights
- Harmonic Support
- Builds and Climaxes
- Dynamic Extremes
- Solo Statements
- Doubling for Color
- Adding Percussion Climaxes
Lesson 11: Expansions of the Orchestral Sound
- Expanding the Orchestra with Choir and Ethnic Instruments
- Using Choir Samples to Create Grandeur
- Choir Parts
- Ethnic Instruments
- Drum Loops
- Saxophones
- Guitar
- Overdubbing Soloists
Lesson 12: Full Ensemble Orchestration
- Foreground, Middleground, Background I
- Foreground, Middleground, Background II
- Foreground, Middleground, Background III
- Full Piece Listening and Analysis
Requirements
Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements
Prerequisite Courses, Knowledge, and/or Skills
Completion of any Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) sequencing course (Producing Music with Logic, Pro Tools 101, Producing Music with Cubase, etc.) and Music Theory 301 or Music Theory and Composition 3, or equivalent knowledge and experience is required.
Students must have:
- an intermediate competency in their DAW of choice with an ability to record multiple tracks and create an MP3 of the final mix
- an ability to read music, including treble and bass clef
Textbook(s)
- No textbooks required
Software
- DAW suitable for scoring to picture and/or orchestral mockup production, such as Logic Pro, Cubase Pro, Pro Tools (Studio or Ultimate), or Reaper
- Students are required to produce scores and submit them in PDF format. Options include:
- Notation software (recommended option), such as Finale (full version), Sibelius (Artist or Ultimate), Dorico (Elements or Pro), MuseScore (free), etc.
- Handwritten notation captured by a digital camera or a scanner can be used in lieu of notation software.
- Deeply sampled orchestral libraries covering all standard families, such as Orchestral Tools Berlin Orchestra Created with Berklee
Hardware
- One of the following studio monitoring options (both recommended):
- Studio monitors (pair), such as JBL 305Ps or better, as well as an audio interface and necessary cables
- Over-ear studio headphones, such as Sennheiser HD 600, Sony MDR-7506, Philips SHP9500, Audio-Technica ATH-M50x, etc.
Student Deals
After enrolling, be sure to check out our Student Deals page for various offers on software, hardware, and more. Please contact support@online.berklee.edu with any questions.
General Course Requirements
Below are the minimum requirements to access the course environment and participate in Live Classes. Please make sure to also check the Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements section above, and ensure your computer meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements for all software needed for your course.
Mac Users
PC Users
All Users
- Latest version of Google Chrome
- Zoom meeting software
- Webcam
- Speakers or headphones
- External or internal microphone
- Broadband Internet connection
Instructors
Author & Instructor
Ben Newhouse's commercial music has been used in more than 3,000 episodes of television, including projects for ABC, CBS, NBC, and most major cable networks. Newhouse's music is the soundtrack for the Disney DVD logo, several independent films, and Las Vegas stage shows. Newhouse was awarded the BMI Pete Carpenter Fellowship in 1999.
The University Continuing Education Association awarded his Orchestration 1 course "Best New Online Course" in 2009, and Berklee awarded Newhouse a "Distinguished Faculty Award" in 2015. Newhouse has also guest lectured at Pescara Conservatory in Pescara, Italy and Sydney Conservatorium of Music in Sydney, Australia. He authored Producing Music with Digital Performer (Berklee Press), which has sold 15,000 copies, as well as the more recent Berklee Press book, Creative Strategies in Film Scoring. He has been quoted in multiple publications, including Electronic Music magazine and acousticmidiorchestration.com.
As a composer during his college years at Eastman School of Music where he received his bachelor of music degree, and graduated magna cum laude, his music was performed primarily by Eastman groups and groups along the East Coast. "Heat," a relentless overture for orchestra, received the Howard Hanson Award in the late 1990s and was premiered by the Eastman School Symphonic Orchestra. Newhouse is also a full-fellowship master's degree alumnus of the University of Southern California, completing an MBA and a Business of Entertainment graduate certificate program with the School of Cinematic Arts.
Instructor
Molly Joyce was recently deemed one of the “most versatile, prolific and intriguing composers working under the vast new-music dome” by The Washington Post. Her music has additionally been described as “serene power” (New York Times), written to “superb effect” (The Wire), and “unwavering” and “enveloping” (Vulture). Her work is concerned with disability as a creative source. She has an impaired left hand from a previous car accident, and the primary vehicle in her pursuit is her electric vintage toy organ, an instrument she bought on eBay which engages her disability on a compositional and performative level.
Molly’s creative projects have been presented and commissioned by Carnegie Hall, TEDxMidAtlantic, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Bang on a Can Marathon, Danspace Project, Americans for the Arts, National Sawdust, Gaudeamus Muziekweek, National Gallery of Art, Classical:NEXT, and in Pitchfork, Red Bull Radio, and WNYC’s New Sounds. Her compositional works have been commissioned and performed by ensembles including the Vermont, New World, New York Youth, Pittsburgh, Albany, and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestras. Molly is a graduate of Juilliard, Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Yale, alumnus of the YoungArts Foundation. She holds an Advanced Certificate in Disability Studies from City University of New York, and currently serves on the composition faculty of New York University Steinhardt and Wagner College. Read Less
What's Next?
When taken for credit, Orchestration 1 can be applied towards the completion of these related programs:
Related Certificate Programs
Related Degree Majors
Related Music Career Roles
Employers look for skills learned in this course, when hiring for the following music career roles:
Questions?
Contact our Academic Advisors by phone at 1-866-BERKLEE (U.S.), 1-617-747-2146 (INT'L), or by email at advisors@online.berklee.edu.
