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Break out the manuscript paper and manifest the inner harmonies of your mind into reality!
Unlock Your Creative Potential with Expert Music Composition Lessons
At Penrith Conservatorium of Music, we offer private, one-on-one music composition lessons tailored to your unique style and skill level.Whether you’re passionate about classical, contemporary, film scores, or any other genre, our experienced composition tutors will help you develop your own techniques and expand your creative toolkit.
No matter your genre or musical focus, our expert tutors are here to guide you through the process of writing music that captures your vision. Learn new approaches, refine your skills, and optimise your creative process, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced composer.
Whether you’re looking to compose for personal enjoyment or work towards professional achievements, we’re here to support your journey.
Book your lessons today and start composing your future with us!
Composition Teachers
Amanda Handel
MA Composition | AMusA | ATCL Teaching Dip
Amanda is a well-established composer, performer, and teacher with extensive experience and eclectic interests. She holds a Masters’ Degree in composition and Diplomas in piano teaching and performance. Amanda’s teaching objectives are holistic: to awaken creativity, foster spontaneity and deepen artistry within her students.
She is a BodyMinded Practitioner (Alexander Technique), a certified master hypnotherapist and master coach of NLP. These areas of expertise equip her to guide students towards technical ease and mental well-being, while enhancing the optimal state for performance.
Amanda has delivered presentations at teachers’ seminars, including the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conferences. She has lectured in harmony, analysis and composition at Western Sydney University. Her thesis Music of Balance: Circles and Squares explores the universal mandala symbol/concept as a guiding principle for composition.
As a composer, Amanda navigates the nexus of contemporary art and world music genres. Her music has been described in reviews as “hauntingly beautiful, creative, cohesive and compositionally advanced”, “engaging and evocative … seductive with a Spanish tinge, and a lot of grit”.
Amanda has released two albums of original music: Ghosts & Angels (2006) and Gardens of Stone (2012). Both attracted brilliant reviews and ABC radio airplay. She has a large catalogue of compositions published through Wirripang Pty Ltd and some of her works appear in AMEB piano publications and examination syllabi. Her commissioned works include works for a variety of chamber ensembles and solo instruments, especially for festivals and concerts.
John Hines
ADMT | BA Primary Education Studies | MMus
John received his Associate Diploma in Music Teaching (Piano), from the NSW Conservatorium of Music in 1983, after which he studied for a Master’s Degree at Adelaide University and a Bachelor of Primary Education Studies at Charles Sturt University. John has been teaching Piano and Music Theory for over 25 years as a private teacher and music specialist in primary education. As a pianist, he specialises not only in the standard “classical” repertoire but also in jazz improvisation and composition and is an active member of the Hawkesbury Jazz Society.
Many ensembles, including several Australian Symphony Orchestras, have performed his compositions. He believes that, in addition to a sound pedagogical approach to teaching, lessons must be sympathetic to each student’s personal tastes and musical preferences as much as possible and that, above all, a positive teacher-student relationship is essential for children and adults.