There is a centuries old method for teaching young musicians how to compose classical music. In fact many of the great composers underwent the exact same kinds of exercises and compositional procedures that are taught today. There has been somewhat of an erosion of these principals, most noticeably in Universities, however many schools of music and conservatories still preserve the older traditions.

To begin with the student needs to understand how music is notated and this is often something which was learned long ago as a child anyway so does not normally present a problem. The first challenge to the student will be counterpoint which is available in 5 parts, each one increasing in its complexity.

The value of learning counterpoint cannot be overstressed as so many of the basic principals for composing music are contained within the form. At its most basic level you have a simple melodic line and a bass line however this quickly expands to include more voices. Counterpoint is governed by a strict set of rules which must be adhered to at all times and within this framework the composer must produce pleasing music.

Practically all of the great composers did many hundreds, even thousands, of counterpoint exercises and the physical evidence from many of their exercise books still survive to this day.

Following a year in counterpoint studies its normal to move onto harmony. Bach's Chorales are often used as a point of reference since they are actually provide a perfect study for anyone wishing to learn classical harmony. By the end of this second year the student will have a solid understanding of how music is structured and works in its mechanical nature.

It's only in the third year that we get to composition. Here many examples are studied and analysed in the hope that the student will make their own sense of things. You see it's true that real composition cannot be taught. At best the professor can show students what was done by others in the hope that it will ignite an already present ability to compose.

The fourth year is often the hardest as this is devoted to orchestration. Since the composer must mentally hear all the instruments and judge the various ranges, timbres and tonal colours a lot of trial and error is undergone before finally starting to get it right. It's a long road and not really achievable without some measure of natural talent.